Legends of the Demon Duelist Rival Schools Arc
by Wolf General
Summary: Third arc of Legends of the Demon Duelist. The Duelist Academy and North School. Two places of learning that focus on their students learning the game of Duel Monsters. Not everything is as it seems though. Can Ichigo figure out how to defeat Vincent
1. The seventh

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Rival School Arc

Chapter 1: The seventh

"So let's see who we have so far." The principal of the Duelist Academy looked at the clipboard in front of him and rubbed at his beard. "So far we have Ichigo Pilkington, Erika Amero, Kenshin Anderson, Hitokage Seijitsu, Krieger Reinhardt, Adriel Zaytel….and two openings." Sighing, the bald man looked back at his staff. "So, any suggestions?"

Midas King stepped forwards. "Indeed I do sir. I suggest Jonathan Nemo for a position on the Duelist Academy's team for this year's meet."

Daniel glanced at the gold-robed professor and stepped in front of him. "I have a better idea. How about Griff Mohistava?"

The Principal glanced at both professors in turn and then smiled. "So, like always, you two are in disagreement as to who the seventh will be?"

"Why not have them both?" One of the professors said.

"Because the eighth spot is for the duelist chosen by the Principal personally." Another one said.

Midas literally pushed Daniel's head down so he could see the Principal. "Why would we want a student like Mohistava representing our school? He's not even that good of a duelist."

Daniel stood up sharply, the back of his head slamming into King's chin and sending the professor stumbling back. "Because Griff is much better than he seems. I know that his test scores aren't incredibly high, but his skill level when it comes to dueling balances that out."

Midas kicked a rolling chair across the floor, the edge of the furniture catching Daniel in the knees and forcing him into a sitting position on the chair. Then he casually stepped over and shoved the chair (Daniel included) across the room. "That's all well and good, but I have recordings of his duels in the past. His skill isn't anywhere near good enough without the help of…." He shuddered at the memory of his Enraged Muka Muka blowing apart. "…certain people."

"You're making a bunch of wrong assumptions about him then." The chair came sliding across the room and knocked Midas off of his feet. Daniel stepped in front of the Principal. "Come on sir, when have I ever led you wrong?"

"You never have, but that's not going to be enough in this case." The Principal nodded resolutely. "Tell both Jonathan Nemo and Griff Mohistava that in one hour they will be dueling at the Obelisk Blue arena."

Daniel nodded….but was stopped right before he left.

The Principal kept his arm out to stop the half wolf demon from leaving immediately. "This applies to both you and Midas. These two boys will not know what they are dueling for and will have no outside help on their decks. Tell them that is a routine check of their dueling skills."

* * *

Griff fitted his duel disk onto his arm and stepped onto the arena field. "Man, I have better things to do than get stuck in some stupid routine test for the afternoon."

From across the field, Jonathan turned his disk on and smirked at the Egyptian duelist. "Mohistava, what a pleasure it will be to mop the floor with you. How many times have I beaten you in the past?"

Griff glared at the blue-haired boy. "And how many times have I beaten you outside of the dueling arena?"

Jonathan growled as his disk slid into active mode. "Don't get smug! Prepare to be washed away!"

"We'll see!" Griff's disk slid into place.

Jonathan- 4000

Griff- 4000

* * *

"It didn't take much to get these two at each other's throats, did it?" Kenshin sat along the row of seats that was occupied by most of the teaching staff.

"Yep." Krieger bit his lower lip. ("Griff…go for it…")

"Where is Ichigo anyway? I haven't seen him for the last few days." Kenshin glanced over at the half cat demon.

"He's still in the hospital. They're making sure that he heals up all the way before they're going to let him out."

* * *

"I'm first!" John drew. He slapped a card onto his disk. "I set a monster and that's all!"

Griff drew. "It's Showtime!" He looked at the drawn card and added it to his hand. Then he placed a card onto his disk. "I set a monster too. End turn."

John drew. "You think you can defend like how I can defend?" His face-down monster card shimmered and flipped up. "Reveal Aqua Commander!" (1400/2000) A blue-skinned humanoid appeared on the field. "This monster raises the attack of all water attribute monsters in play by 300 points. It can be flipped up and down as I choose each standby phase."

Griff frowned but said nothing.

John snickered and slapped a card onto his disk. "Already getting cold feet? Well I summon Revival Jam (1500/500) in attack mode. First it gains 300 attack points from Aqua Commander, and then I play the field magic card A Legendary Ocean!" All around them the field changed into the ruins of an ancient underwater city. "This field magic card lowers the level of all water attribute monsters by one, and raises their attack points by 200." (2000/500) "Go Revival Jam!" A blob of blue slime appeared on his field and immediately launched across the field to slam into the set monster. The creature revealed was a woman holding a whip. She screamed and then was blown apart.

("One Dark Scorpion down…") Griff frowned. "Anything else?"

John slid a card into his disk. "Just one card in my magic/trap zone. End turn."

Griff drew slowly. ("Don't panic…you can still win.") "First I play the continuous magic card Allied Forces! Now for every warrior and spellcaster on my field, all warriors on my field will gain 200 attack points! Also, I summon Goblin Attack Force!" (2300/0) A horde of goblins holding clubs appeared on the field. "After Allied Forces raises their power I end my turn." (2500/0)

John drew. "I summon Ice Lizard!" (1500/1000) A lizard made of pure ice appeared on the field. "This monster can equip itself to one water attribute monster that I have in play, raising its attack points by 400!" The Revival Jam floated over and landed on the lizard's back. (2400/500)

"Goblin Attack Force is stronger." Griff gulped, because he knew that his opponent wasn't stupid.

"Reveal Dust Tornado!" John's face-down card flipped up. "This trap will destroy one magic or trap card in play!" A blast of wind launched across the field and shattered the Allied Forces card. (2300/0) "And now I attack Goblin Attack Force with my monster!" The Ice Lizard charged forwards and tore through the gathered goblins like a lawnmower through grass. "End turn."

John- 4000

Griff- 3900

Griff groaned and drew. ("Now what am I supposed to do? Those guys were one of my strongest monsters.") Looking at the drawn card, he sighed and slapped a card down onto his disk. "I summon Man with Wdjat (1600/1600) in defense mode and end my turn." A purple-robed man appeared on his field in a crouching position.

John sneered and drew. "You're just as pitiful as ever. And here I switched my strategy to beatdown so that you couldn't put cards in your deck to counter mine. What a waste of my time." He threw a card onto his disk. "Go Retreat Snail!" A giant snail's shell appeared on the field. (900/1700) (1400/1700) "Now I attack with Revival Jam!" The Ice Lizard charged forwards and ran over the man instantly. "Snail, direct attack!" A green blob slid out of the shell and spat a glob of slime across the field to hit Griff in the chest.

John- 4000

Griff- 2500

"That's not all though!" John discarded a card from his hand. "By discarding one card from my hand, I can switch Retreat Snail into defense mode!" The green blob withdrew into the shell. "End turn."

Griff drew. "I set a monster face-down. End turn."

John drew. "You're not even trying, are you? Well let's see how you like my Purge Force!" (1600/1000) (2100/1000) A group of sickly purple humanoids appeared on his field. "I switch Retreat Snail into attack mode and attack the set monster with Revival Jam!" The Ice Lizard roared and slammed its foot down on the set monster, blowing it apart.

"You just destroyed my Bandit Watchman!" (1000/1900) Griff slapped a card onto his disk. "When you do that, I may special summon one level four or lower warrior from my hand to the field! Go Bandit Spearman!" (1500/1000) A man in Arabian robes holding a spear appeared on the field in a crouching position.

John pointed at the warrior. "Retreat Snail!" The blob emerged from its shell and spat a hunk of green slime onto the Spearman, blowing it apart. "And then Purge Force attacks you directly!" The humanoid opened their mouths and a smell like Chlorine filled the air. "And when they deal you direct damage, I discard my hand to force you discard all monsters in your hand to the graveyard!" Sliding his two cards into the graveyard, John pointed at Griff. "So toss them all!"

John- 4000

Griff- 400

Griff gulped and slid two cards from his hand into his graveyard, leaving him with only one card left. "That makes it my turn…draw." His hand touched the top card of his deck. "You know what…routine check or not, I'm going to wipe you out!" He drew. "I activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards!" He slid two cards off of his deck. "I set two cards face-down and activate the continuous magic card Mirage of Nightmare. End turn."

John frowned and snapped the top card off of his deck. "Go Piranha Army!" (800/200) (1300/200) A school of floating piranha appeared in the air on his field. "When these monsters deal battle damage it is doubled."

"Mirage of Nightmare activate now!" Griff held up his hand. "Now I draw until I have four cards in my hand!" He snapped four cards off of his deck. "Also, I play the quickplay magic card Life Barricade!" One of his two face-down cards flipped up. "During the turn this magic card is activated, you cannot attack me with monsters that have attack points equal to or less than my life points!"

"So what? You only have 400 life points!" John pointed at the Egyptian boy. "Purge Force! Attack his life points directly!"

"Who said I had only 400?" Griff's last set card flipped up. "I activate Emergency Provisions in response to the activation of Life Barricade. This card lets me sacrifice magic and trap cards to raise my life points by 1000 apiece!" Life Barricade and Mirage of Nightmare disappeared.

John- 4000

Griff- 2400

John growled. "End turn." Because Griff now had 2400 life points, he couldn't attack with any of his monsters.

Griff drew. ("Here's my only chance to win!") "From my hand I play Snatch Steal! This equipment magic card lets me take control of one face-up monster on your field! So I take control of Aqua Commander!" The blue-skinned monster appeared on his field. "And then I sacrifice my new monster to summon Guardian Sphinx!" (1700/2400) A huge stone sphinx appeared on his field. "Also, I play Monster Reborn! Now I revive Dark Scorpion-Gorg the Strong (1800/1500) from my graveyard!" A huge man holding a giant hammer over one shoulder appeared on the field. "Attack the Piranha Army now!" The Sphinx released a blast of energy from its lifeless eyes that burned away all of the little fishes.

John- 3300

Griff- 2400

"Gorg the Strong, destroy Retreat Snail!" The hulking warrior charged forwards and slammed his hammer through the shell of the snail, blowing it apart. "And when Gorg deals you life point damage, I use his effect to return one monster on your field to the top of your deck! Goodbye Revival Jam!" The blue slime disappeared and the Ice Lizard blew apart. "Now I use the effect of Guardian Sphinx to flip it face-down!" There was a flash of light as the stone monument disappeared and was replaced by a brown-backed horizontal card. "Then I set one card face-down and end my turn."

John- 2600

Griff- 2400

John growled and caught a card that was spat out of his deck. "I activate the effect of Mirage Turtle!" (1200/1400) "When this monster is in my graveyard, I may remove it from play at any time to force us both to shuffle our decks." He shuffled his deck and so did Griff. "And now I draw!" After drawing the top card of his deck, he smirked coldly. "Pot of Greed lets me draw two cards. Then I play Ocean Storm! This magic card prevents me from attacking during this turn, but all face-down cards will be sent back to their owner's hands. Also, all monsters in play that are not water attribute creatures will be destroyed!" An explosion of water surrounded the field and instantly drowned Gorg. "Now I summon Dark Sea Knight." (1800/1500) (2000/1500) A blue-armored knight appeared on his field. "End turn."

Griff closed his eyes and ground his teeth. ("Oh man…I'm done.") His best technique was his Guardian Sphinx, but now he had no way to get it onto the field again. And his opponent also had two powerful monsters in play. ("Jeez…I'm such a loser. Why can't I ever pull off a win against my opponents? I always wind up on the losing end of a duel. Is there something wrong with my strategy? Are the Dark Scorpions just not enough?")

"What's the matter? Are you giving up already?" John threw back his head and laughed. "You're far too weak for the likes of me. Just go and crawl into a hole with your thieves, Mohistava."

("I'm done…") Griff started to lift his hand up towards his deck…

"Griff!" A familiar voice caught his attention. His eyes turned to look at Krieger.

The half cat demon crossed his arms across his chest. "After all of the things you have been through, do you mean to tell me that you can't beat this loser?"

"Loser?" John growled at the boy. "How dare you!"

Griff blinked a couple of times. "You're right….he is a loser."

"What?" John turned red in the face. "I'll destroy you!"

"Oh really?" Griff smirked. "It's my turn, draw!" He snapped the top card off of his deck. "Card Destruction! Now we both discard our hands!" He discarded his three cards and drew three new ones. "I summon Don Zaloog!" (1400/1500) The leader of the Dark Scorpions appeared on the field and smirked at John.

"That weakling will be destroyed in just a few moments." John flexed his fingers. "Ready?"

Griff held up another card from his card. "I activate Dark Scorpion Feint Formation! This magic card can only activate when all of the Dark Scorpions are in the graveyard and Don Zaloog is on my field!" He caught four cards that were spat out of his graveyard and added them to his hand. "Return now! All of the Dark Scorpions are special summoned with half attack points!" The lights dimmed and four spotlights fell onto the field. "Now presenting the best team in the world!"

First the huge form that was played earlier appeared on his field. "Dark Scorpion-Gorg the Strong!" (1800/1500) (900/1500)

The second monster was a thin man wearing glasses and holding a dagger in each of his hands. "Cliff the Trap Remover!" (1200/1000) (600/1000)

A woman holding a whip appeared on his field. "Dark Scorpion-Meanae the Thorn!" (1000/1800) (500/1800)

The final monster that appeared on his field was a young blond-haired boy holding a mallet. "Dark Scorpion-Chick the Yellow!" (1000/1000) (500/1000)

The five monsters all struck poses alongside each other. "The Dark Scorpions!"

"So what? They're too weak to be a threat." John pointed at Don Zaloog and Gorg. "Those two will be my targets next turn."

"Not a chance!" Griff held up a different card from his hand. "From my hand I play the magic card Everlasting Illusion! This magic card lets me take back one continuous magic card from my graveyard!" He caught a card and slammed it into his disk. "Go Allied Forces! This card increases all warriors in play by 200 attack points for each warrior and spellcaster!"

"Oh no!" John's eyes widened as energy flowed around the five thieves.

Don Zaloog (2400/1500)

Cliff the Trap Remover (1600/1000)

Meanae the Thorn (1500/1800)

Gorg the Strong (1900/1500)

Chick the Yellow (1500/1000)

"Don Zaloog! Attack the Sea Knight now!" The King of Thieves lifted his handguns and blew the monster away. "Gorg!" The hammer fell down onto the Purge Force and blew them apart. "Chick, Cliff and Meanae!" The three remaining leapt forwards and slammed their weapons down onto the Obelisk Blue duelist. "And that's the end."

John- 0

Griff- 2400

* * *

Midas King stared bug-eyed at the dueling arena. "But…but….but…."

Daniel patted him on the shoulder. "That's a damned shame." Grinning, he walked off with a smile on his face.

From behind both of them, the Principal smiled. ("Griff Mohistava, I'm glad you found the strength to win.")

_To be continued…_

Author's Notes: Hello there ladies and gentlemen. And so I start off this arc with the mighty Dark Scorpions unleashing doom upon watery stuff. I'm still looking for submissions of members for the Extraordinary Eight.

I'm going to try something. It has been a while since I've even looked at it, but I used to have a Ranma ½ fiction. It got taken off of this website and I was suspended because they considered it original fiction. I'm going to look it over and clean it up, and then see if I can put it up. Wish me luck, because otherwise I might wind up removed from this website.

To Adriel: I don't think Luna could fix his arm. Then again, maybe it can.

To Seeker of the Soul: You humble me with your flattery.

To Obsessive Zero Fan: I'll see if I can use that person. Once again, I have to compare it to the rest of the other submissions. (When they come.)


	2. First Encounter

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Rival School Arc

Chapter 2: First Encounter

"5001, 5002, 5003, 5004, 5005!" Ichigo felt like he was on fire, but he knew that no matter what he did he couldn't let himself get any weaker.

"Hey Ichigo, I brought you some…" Eri stepped into the room, turned bright red, and then spun away. "Would you put some clothing on please?"

"Why?" Ichigo finished his 5010th push-up and hopped up onto his feet. "I need to keep my strength up."

"Do you have to do it with no shirt on?" Eri growled and closed her eyes. She hurled the bento she had brought for him at his head and turned to look at the door.

Ichigo caught it without even looking and hurled it onto the hospital bed. "I'm still getting used to having one arm. Sweat-soaked cloth would be a hindrance." He snapped his arm out a couple of times. "What's the matter with me not wearing a shirt anyway?"

"Gods you're an idiot!" Eri stomped out and slammed the door behind her.

Ichigo shrugged and returned to his push-ups. "5011, 5012, 5013…."

* * *

"10349, 10350, 10351…" Adriel felt his muscles burn. ("I will not surrender to pain! My vow is to defeat Pilkington, and to do that I must overcome my physical weakness. The Dark Halo makes him nearly a god, and to surpass him I must defeat the limitations that bind me to this world.")

He'd been exercising for ten hours straight, and at the current rate he was probably going to surpass the 20000 push-up mark in the next two hours or so.

The sound of clapping brought him out of his exercise. "That's pretty impressive."

Adriel looked over to see a boy about the same age as him sitting on a rock. He had dark red hair and was wearing oddly dark-colored clothing. "Can I help you with something?"

"Why certainly you can!" The boy hopped off of the rock. "My name is Rudy, and I'm here to challenge you to a little duel. Accept?"

Adriel frowned and stood up. "Fine. I suppose you might be worth my time." He reached over to his backpack and pulled out his duel disk.

Rudy- 4000

Adriel- 4000

Rudy held up his arm, which had a strange circular version of the normal duel disk on it. "I'll begin this duel by playing a magic card from my deck."

Adriel just had finished putting his duel disk on when he heard this. "A magic card from your deck?"

"That's right. It's called Ultimate Ante." The circular disk hummed and Adriel's duel disk made a curious whirring noise. "Now I have upped the stakes of this duel. Whoever loses will have their deck destroyed by their duel disk."

"What?" Adriel started to step forwards, his fist lined up to remove this fool human's head.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Ultimate Ante will activate if you move farther or closer than 10 to 15 feet from me. So run or fight, you'll be losing every card in your precious deck." Rudy smirked and drew. "Now then, let the games begin!"

Adriel ground his teeth and growled from low in his throat. "Why you…"

Rudy placed a card onto his disk. "I'll just set one card face-down and end my turn."

"I hope that deck doesn't mean much to you." Adriel drew. "I summon Masked Dragon (1400/1100) in attack mode!" A red and white dragon appeared on his field. "Attack his face-down monster now! Dragon's Fireball!" The dragon spat out a ball of fire that hit the set card and was deflected skywards. "What?"

"You attacked my Golem Sentry (800/1800) and that was a big mistake. Not only was your attack wasted, but you just lost 400 life points." Rudy smirked as a stone monster that resembled a door appeared on the field.

Rudy- 4000

Adriel- 3600

Adriel growled and slid a card into his disk. "I set a card face-down and end my turn."

Rudy drew. "The effect of Golem Sentry lets me flip it face-down once per turn." The stone door disappeared and was replaced by a horizontal brown-backed card. "And I also set a monster in defense mode and one card face-down on the field. End turn."

Adriel drew. "It's my turn now!" ("His Golem Sentry will send one monster on the field back to my hand when it is flip summoned.") He couldn't allow that to happen. Looking at his hand, the half dragon demon smirked and opened his field magic card slot. "Activate Dragon's Haven!" All around them huge piles of treasure exploded out of the ground. In this place, all battle damage from Dragon combat will be zero! Now I summon another Masked Dragon!" Another white and red dragon appeared on the field. "Now I attack your two monsters with my dragons! Dragon's Flame!" Both dragons released blasts of flames that slammed into the two set monsters. Both flipped up. One was the Golem Sentry, but the other was a green-skinned man in a martial artist's uniform. "Because of Dragon's Haven, all damage to me is zero."

"Perhaps so…" Rudy snickered. "But my Legendary Jujitsu Master (1300/1800) sends any monster that battles with it while it is in defense mode back to the owner's hand." One of the two Masked Dragons disappeared.

Adriel frowned and slid a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Rudy drew. "You're not as good as I thought. I play the magic card Smashing Ground! This will destroy the highest defense monster on your field!" A fissure appeared in the earth and sucked the dragon out of sight. "Now I switch my two monsters into attack mode and attack your life points directly!" Both of his monsters stood up and charged.

"Reveal Dragon's Spirit!" A phantom version of the Masked Dragon appeared on the field and snapped its wings out, stopping both attackers cold. "This trap activates during a turn that a dragon monster on my field has been destroyed. All life point damage to me is zero for this turn!"

Rudy grimaced and pointed at his Golem Sentry. It shimmered and turned back into a set card. "End turn."

Adriel drew. ("I will not lose to you. Ichigo Pilkington would not lose to one such as you, and neither will I.") He slid a card into his disk. "I set a card face-down and summon Masked Dragon in attack mode!" The red and white dragon reappeared on the field. "Attack the Legendary Jujitsu Master now!"

Rudy pointed at his set card. "It's not that easy to take me down! I reveal Book of Moon. This quickplay magic card forces your monster into face-down defense mode." The Masked Dragon shimmered and changed into a set card.

Adriel closed his eyes. "End turn for now."

Rudy drew. "I flip up Golem Sentry!" The stone door appeared on the field. "When flip summoned I send one monster on your field back to your hand!" The Masked Dragon disappeared. "Now it's over! Both of my monsters attack you directly!" Both monsters charged forwards and slammed into Adriel, sending him sliding backwards a couple of feet. "Move back much farther and Ultimate Ante will take your whole deck with it."

Rudy- 4000

Adriel- 1500

Adriel growled and clutched at his chest. He was already tired from his exercise, and now this didn't make it any better on his body. ("But I will surpass my limitations!")

Rudy pointed at his Golem Sentry. "I switch my monster into face-down defense and end my turn." The stone door disappeared and was replaced by a set card.

Adriel snapped the top card off of his deck. "Defense will not repel me! Reveal Call of the Haunted! This trap card will revive one monster from my graveyard!" His graveyard Masked Dragon reappeared on the field. "Also, I summon another Masked Dragon!" Both of his new dragons roared and one of them spat a blast of flame that slammed into the Legendary Jujitsu Master and blew it apart. The other one did the same to the set card, flipping up the Golem Sentry. "End turn."

Rudy- 3900

Adriel- 1500

Rudy drew. "I was warned about your rush attacks, but I have the necessary method to finish you off in my hand already! I send Magnet Warriors Alpha, (1400/1700) Beta, (1700/1600) and Gamma (1500/1800) to the graveyard to special summon Valkyrion the Magnet Warrior!" (3500/3850) A huge robot made up of three different colored pieces appeared on the field.

"Valkyrion the Magnet Warrior?" Adriel threw up his hands just in time to watch one of his Masked Dragons get cut in half. "But Dragon's Haven negates the damage to my life points! And when sent to the graveyard, I can special summon one dragon monster from my deck with 1500 or less attack points to the field! Go Pitch Dark Dragon!" (900/600) A black dragon appeared on his field in a crouching position.

"I'm not done yet." Rudy slid a card into his disk. "I play the continuous magic card Magnetic Breakdown. When Valkyrion would be destroyed I send it to the graveyard and special summon its three pieces to the field in defense mode. Also, I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Adriel looked down at his deck. "I draw!" He looked at the drawn card and frowned. "I switch Masked Dragon into defense mode and…."

"And then it switches right back! Reveal Staunch Defender!" Rudy smirked as the Masked Dragon and Pitch Dark Dragon both stood up. "This trap activates during your battle phase. It forces all of your monsters to attack on creature on my field!" Both Dragons screeched in pain as Valkyrion launched forwards and slashed them both apart.

"When destroyed, I special summon another Masked Dragon through the effect of Masked Dragon!" The red and white dragon appeared on his field, and then howled as it was forced to fight Valkyrion. It only got to taste living for a moment, and then it was destroyed as well. "And that Masked Dragon lets me special summon Twin-Headed Behemoth!" (1500/1200) A two-headed dragon appeared on the field and was slashed apart. "And when destroyed it reforms at 1000 attack and defense!" It reappeared with one head this time, and was immediately destroyed. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Rudy drew. "What in the hell was that all about?" He looked at the drawn card and then pointed at Adriel. "Die!" Valkyrion stood completely still. "I said die!"

"It heard you, but there's nothing it can do to help you in this situation. You see, I flipped up Negate Attack. This trap card lets me negate your attack and end your battle phase." Adriel took a deep breath. "So are you done for the turn?"

Rudy nodded. "End turn."

Adriel looked down at his deck. ("I have no cards left that can take down his Valkyrion. It has too many attack points…") He felt a pulse from his deck and looked down at it. ("Jin's Destructive Storm? It cannot deal enough damage to end this turn.") His deck pulsed again. ("So be it. Show me your power!") "It's my turn! Draw!" He looked at the drawn card and his eyes widened. "It's over."

"What?" Rudy frowned and pointed at his life point counter. "I have 3900 life points remaining!"

"And I'll rip every single one away from you right now!" He slapped the drawn card onto his disk and a huge storm of wind exploded onto his field. "Come out now, Cyclone Dragon!" (1500/1200) The wind formed into a dragon-like shape. "Reverse card open! Dragon's Explosion! This continuous trap card lets me discard dragons from my hand to do one of two things. Either I destroy a monster on the field with attack equal to or less than that of the discarded dragon…or I take the level stars of that monster, add one, and then deal you 100 points of damage times that number!"

Rudy's eyes widened. "Damn it…but there's nothing that can overcome the attack of Valkyrion."

"So what? I'm not using that effect." Adriel held up his three remaining cards. "Drill Dragon, (2800/1000) Grand Emperor Dragon, (2000/2500) and Tyrant Dragon (2900/2500) equals 2600 life points of damage!" His face-up card released a blast of fire that swallowed up Rudy for a few moments.

Rudy- 1300

Adriel- 1500

Rudy coughed a couple of times and brushed the smoke away from his body. "You miscalculated…because I'll finish you off now."

"I'll be doing the finishing here! Cyclone Dragon, attack Valkyrion the Magnet Warrior now!" The wind dragon released a spinning swirl of wind that the magnet warrior deflected with its sword. Letting out one screech of pain the Cyclone Dragon was blown apart by its effect. "Cyclone Dragon's special ability activates now! When this monster is destroyed all magic and trap cards in play are destroyed! Then you take 500 life points of damage for each destroyed card!" A huge blast of wind blew apart Dragon's Haven, Dragon's Explosion, and Magnetic Breakdown.

Rudy- 0

Adriel- 1500

Rudy stared down at his disk as it made a sucking noise and his deck was pulled into it. A few seconds later a small storm of cardboard bits were shot out of the device. "My deck…" His eyes fell upon Adriel. "You!"

Adriel shuffled his deck and removed his duel disk from his arm. "You're the one who activated that stupid card in the first place. Don't blame me for your misfortune." He barely realized that Rudy was moving until he felt a fist drive across his face and send him crashing to the ground. The stress of the duel and the exhaustion from his workout caught up to him in this moment, and now he felt pain. ("No! I mustn't succumb to such mortal weaknesses!") He slowly tried to stand, only to get kicked in the ribs and sent to the ground again.

"They said for me to disable you before the meet, but they never really specified the method I was supposed to use!" Rudy kicked again and heard a satisfying crunch. "I was just going to make things easy on you by destroying your deck, but you just had to win didn't you? Now you get to taste the power of a student of North School in combat!"

("This guy is from North School?") Adriel coughed up a few drops of blood as he felt another rib give slightly to a kick. ("A student of North School….I cannot lose to a student of this school! I am Obelisk Blue and I will not be overcome by anyone!") Adriel caught the next kick and tugged sharply, sending Rudy to the ground. "I will not lose to you!" The half dragon demon leapt to his feet and kicked Rudy in the ribs, sending him sliding along the ground until he finally hit a tree twenty feet away from where he started.

Gasping in pain, Rudy stumbled to his feet. "How did you…."

Adriel cracked his knuckles. "Let me help you forget about the pain of losing your deck."

Rudy stood up slowly, lifting his hands in a kickboxing stance. "I'll tear you apart, weakling."

Adriel slid his legs back….and then charged. "I'll rip you apart!" His fists came in like a raging storm. "Rage of Typherious!" The storm warped slightly and started to glow green.

"What in the…" Rudy felt his defenses stop the first few hits, but the next 400 or so landed all across his front. Giving out one weak cry of pain, he stumbled backwards. "How did you…."

"The demon martial arts….are not something to be trifled with." Adriel crackled his knuckles again.

Rudy growled angrily and charged in. "Take this!" His fist came in with remarkable speed and connected with Adriel's cheek. The half dragon demon's head snapped back. "HAH! You're not that tough." His fist started to withdraw back into his stance…

"Actually…" Adriel's head snapped back into place and he reared back his right fist, which was glowing a light blue color. "…I needed an opening in your defenses for this one to hit! Crystallis Pillar!" He drove his fist into Rudy's stomach, and then the energy exploded outwards like a gush of water.

Rudy flew backwards through the air, crashing through tree after tree. Finally he came to a stop when he slammed right into a rock. Sliding to the ground, he let out a whimper and then passed out.

Adriel fell to his knees and clutched at his ribs. "I'll be taking you…into the…Principal…." He fell flat to his face. "Right after I take a nap…."

_To be continued…_

To Bobbomp: Donnie Z huh? You must be on pretty good terms with the king of thieves.

To Anime Albino: He wasn't that bad. He just drew nearly nothing by monsters.

To Sinister: Not a clue. I've got a lot of school things to worry about at the moment, so for now I really only have time to focus on writing for one arc.

To Seth: How do you use having one arm to your advantage?

To Adriel: Naw, never mind. Looking back on the writing, I see that while I could salvage it would take too much of my already scarce time.

To Master of Exodia: Exodia isn't a very exciting deck type to normally play out. I'll consider it, but honestly it doesn't sound all that interesting. No offense to your real life deck meant though.

To White Wolf: Your reasoning is kind of scary in that respect.

To Seeker of the Soul: Bah! Screw it, I have this story to keep me occupied. And yes, three cheers for Griff.

To The Obsessive Zero Fan: You'll see how he handles it very soon.

To Esyphelon: I have your character in my files, but honestly I don't think the reading public is going to want to see another Chaos deck.

To Star AJT: Oooooo…..an armor look-alike deck. That has caught my interest, though the armor deck concept makes me cringe for some reason. Another character in the candidate files.

To gohan: The answer is he can't.

To Nanashi Minimino: Wow…I don't think I possess the influence to cause the destruction of this website. Besides, I wouldn't want to do that to the other fanfiction writers anyway.

To falcon demon general: I greatly appreciate how long you have been with me in my writing, but I make no promise as to whether or not I'll be able to use a Guardian deck. Tekken (from DA Arc) has that department filled at the moment.

To G.O.T. Nick: I knew I'd get a rise out of you. I am such an evil man. Oh yes….

To GryphinWyrm: Well….that is a possibility. Tell Eli to send in a character too, and as for the Stone Warriors…I'll try it if you give me a card list.

To Isumo: Maybe. Your guy's deck is nearly a dead ringer for my real life machine deck.

To Lance Murdock: Like Miroku? If I do use him, he may not approach Eri. No joking on that matter. I'm dead serious.

To queenofgames90: An all female card deck? Brilliant! That goes into the candidate files!

To Aremen: I'll see if I can use your character. Keep in mind that a good friend of mine submitted a character that uses a very similar deck strategy.

To Behemoth Celestia: No offense, but my brain hurts right now. That's why I don't handle original cards too well. He went into the candidate folder, because maybe I'm just being stupid right now.

To Hogwarts-Knight: I just need the character, deck type, and that's about it.

To Dais: A wind/bird deck? Brilliant! Another candidate!

To Rex: Who says he will get his arm back?


	3. War of the scary people

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Rival Schools Arc

Chapter 3: War of the scary people

Eri sighed as she walked away from the hospital. ("He's still in there…and still working out. Damn it Ichigo, lie down and rest already.") Her ears perked slightly and she froze. "Can I help you with something? Or are you just going to follow me to a better location to jump me at?"

"I was hoping to find a better place to duel you at." A sultry voice said from behind a tree.

"Cry me a river. Now bring your ass out here so I can banish you to the darkness." Eri took her duffel bag and removed her duel disk from it.

"You're awfully confident, Erika Amero." The girl that stepped out from behind the tree was what Eri would suppose most boys would call a babe. She had long blond hair, hourglass figure….the whole nine yards. It was the girl's clothing that caught Eri's eye.

"A leather corset and leather skirt?" The demoness rolled her eyes. "Girl, you're trying too hard to appear dark. And the whip on your belt doesn't help the situation either. You give girls like me a bad name."

"My name is not girl. It is Nevan." She lifted her arm to reveal a duel disk. "Now prepare to duel. I've heard of your reputation as the kind of girl who tortures for fun…let's see you put your money where your mouth is!" All around them the air warped and changed to the inky blackness of the darkness realm.

Nevan- 4000

Eri- 4000

Eri frowned slightly. "So you know of the powers of the darkness hmm? Perhaps you're not as much of a poser as I thought."

"Oh that does it." Nevan drew. Her black-colored lips parted slightly as she sneered at her hand. "You're a demon, correct?"

"What of it?" Eri drew her opening hand.

"I was just curious. It's always good to know the pain limits of your prey." She slid a card into her disk. "I set one card face-down and a monster in defense mode."

Eri drew. "Not very impressive so far. Come out now Bone Grunt!" (1200/200) An undead soldier in bone armor appeared on the field. "Attack the set monster now!" It howled and slammed its sword down onto the set monster card.

Nevan shook her head sadly. "You know the effect of Spirit Reaper." (300/200) A purple-robed reaper appeared on her field. "So you know that was a waste of an attack."

Eri frowned and slid two cards into her disk. "I set two cards face-down. End turn."

Nevan drew. "First Mystical Space Typhoon on your left card!" A blast of wind shattered the set card instantly. "And then I tribute my Spirit Reaper to summon my mighty Ryu Kokki!" (2400/2000) The reaper disappeared and was replaced by a huge bone snake.

"Ryu Kokki?" Eri's eyes widened.

"That's right!" Nevan pointed at the Bone Grunt. "Doom Poison!" The snake sprayed a glob of dark purple slob onto the undead creature which instantly dissolved it.

Nevan- 4000

Eri- 2800

Eri growled and caught a card that was spat out of her deck. "When Bone Grunt is destroyed I take Bone Sorcerer (450/600) and add it to my hand!"

Nevan shrugged that off. She didn't care. "I set a card face-down and end my turn."

Eri drew. ("Calm and collected…but something dangerous under that exterior.") "I play the magic card Grave Hand! Now your Ryu Kokki will be sent to the graveyard!" A huge hand exploded out of the ground and pulled the snake out of sight.

"I counter with Call of the Haunted!" One of Nevan's two face-down cards flipped up. "Return Ryu Kokki!" The bone snake emerged from the same hold the hand had come from.

Eri snarled and slid another card into her disk. "The Dark Door allows only one monster to attack per turn. Then I set a monster face-down on the field and end my turn."

Nevan drew. "That's most likely Bone Sorcerer."

"It might be…it might not be." The demoness smirked calmly. She wasn't easily overwhelmed.

"No matter. First I play Pot of Greed." Nevan drew two cards. "Ryu Kokki, crush the monster!" The snake opened its mouth and sprayed out a glob of poison that swallowed the set card.

Eri took the card off of her disk and shuffled it into her deck. "Bone Sorcerer's special ability activates! I now shuffle it into my deck and draw cards until I come to a monster. That monster is special summoned to the field and the rest of the cards drawn are placed back into my deck. The special summoned monster may not attack however." She snapped cards off of her deck, stopping at the second. "I special summon Soul Wolf!" (1400/1200) A ghost wolf appeared on her field in a crouching position. "Then I play my trap card! It's called Dead Soul. When activated I destroy one monster on the field for every one of my monsters that were destroyed during this turn!" A white ghost flew out of the face-up trap and slammed into Ryu Kokki, blowing it apart.

Nevan rolled her eyes at this annoyance. "You're trying my patience. I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Eri drew. "I play the equipment magic card Fiend's Calling! This only works when I have a demon in play. It allows me to special summon one monster from your graveyard with 800 less attack points." Ryu Kokki exploded out of the ground and howled. (1600/2000) "Ryu Kokki, attack the set monster now! Doom Poison!" It sprayed a hunk of purple liquid over the set card and dissolved it.

"You just destroyed my Pyramid Turtle." (1200/1400) Nevan caught a card that was spat out of her deck. "When destroyed as a result of battle, I may special summon one undead monster from my deck with a defense of 2000 or less. So come out now, another of my mighty Ryu Kokki!" A huge bone snake materialized on her field.

Eri grimaced and slapped a card down. "Go Sanctified Soul!" (100/100) A golden phantasmal angel appeared on the field. "Go Metamorphosis! This magic card will let me sacrifice my Sanctified Soul to special summon Thousand-Eyes Restrict!" (0/0) The ghost disappeared and was replaced by a strange purple creature with eyes all over its body. "When Sanctified Soul is sent to the graveyard, we both draw until we hold six cards." She drew six cards and Nevan drew three.

"Now it's Showtime! I use the effect of Thousand-Eyes Restrict to absorb your Ryu Kokki!" The purple creature pulled the snake into its body. (2400/0) "And then I play the ritual magic card Death Ritual of Lithmus! I sacrifice Thousand-Eyes Restrict, my Ryu Kokki, and the Chaos Puppeteer (0/0) from my hand to special summon Swordsman of Death Lithmus!" (0/0) A white-clothed warrior with a sword in each hand appeared on her field. "Also, the effect of Soul Wolf activates! For every monster on my field that was sent to the graveyard, my monster gains 300 attack points!" (2600/1200) "So I switch my wolf into attack mode and set two cards face-down on the field. End turn."

Nevan drew. "You're getting on my nerves with your theme less deck."

"Theme less?" Eri snarled loudly and flexed her claws. "Of course my deck has a theme!"

"Then what is it?"

Eri blinked a couple of times. "It's dark spellcasters, undead and demons."

"Since when did a warrior fit in that kind of deck?" Nevan pointed at Lithmus. "I'll show you right now that when you make your deck you stick to one theme!" She slid a card into her disk. "I play the Shallow Grave! Now we both special summon a monster from our graveyards to the field in defense mode! I bring back a Ryu Kokki!" A ball of bone appeared on her field.

Eri pointed at a little ball of golden light that appeared on her field. "Then I choose Sanctified Soul."

Nevan rolled her eyes. "You think to gain cards? Wrong." She slid a card into her disk. "I activate the continuous magic card Mausoleum." A strange stone structure appeared on her field. "As long as this card is in play all effects involving the graveyard are negated. Also, we both take 100 life points of damage during each turn for every monster in our graveyard."

Eri's eyes widened. "All graveyard effects have been sealed…"

"Right." Nevan pointed at her Ryu Kokki and it disappeared. "I sacrifice Ryu Kokki to summon Dark Dust Spirit!" A horrible looking ghost appeared on her field. "When summoned this monster destroys all other face-up monsters in play!" A storm of sand fell over Eri's field and blew her monsters apart. "Now Dark Dust Spirit, attack her life points directly!"

Eri pointed at her field. "Reverse card open! Sakuretsu Armor!" A suit of steel armor appeared on her field. "This card destroys one attacking monster!" Waves of energy came off of the armor and blew the Dark Dust Spirit apart.

Nevan frowned and slid a card into her disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Eri snapped the top card off of her deck. "Now it's time to show you who the real torture mistress is!"

"Don't forget that every standby phase you take 100 life points of damage for every monster in your graveyard." Nevan smirked as the Mausoleum sprayed black smoke into Eri's face, sending her stumbling back and gasping for air.

Nevan- 4000

Eri- 2300

Snarling even louder than before, Eri slapped a card onto her disk. "I summon Sangan (1000/600) and attack you directly!" A three-eyed fiend appeared on her field and charged towards Nevan.

"Fool." Nevan's face-down cards flipped up. "The first card is Dark Gambit. This card activates when I use a trap card that can deal damage to my opponent. The second is the continuous trap card Dark Foresight. Now I guess the type of one card in your hand!" She pointed at one of Eri's cards. "Magic." The card shimmered and she smirked. "Perfect. Now Dark Gambit doubles the damage that my card deals. It normally deals 1000 life points of damage and negates your attacking monster. This time, it will not only negate your attack but drain you of 2000 life points!" Both cards sprayed dark energy that washed over Eri and forced her to her knees. "You are nearly defeated. During your next turn you will lose."

Nevan- 4000

Eri- 300

Eri shakily stood up and discarded a card from her hand. "I discard one card from my hand to activate my magic card. Go Severing the Dead! This will remove my graveyard from the game and let me gain back 100 life points per removed card!" Energy flowed into her and healed her wounds. "End turn."

Nevan- 4000

Eri- 1600

Nevan drew. "Now I take damage."

Nevan- 3500

Eri- 1600

Looking at her drawn card, Nevan smirked and slid it into her disk. "I next play Call of the Mummy. As long as this continuous magic card is in play, I may once per turn special summon an undead from my hand if I have no monsters in play! So I special summon Regenerating Mummy!" (1800/1500) A mummy surrounded by blue plasma appeared on her field. "And then I set a monster face-down. Go Mummy!" The undead monster launched forwards and tore the Sangan apart.

Nevan- 3500

Eri- 800

Eri braced herself as pain washed over her body. ("I…") She fell to her knees and growled deeply. "I'm not done yet…"

"Oh really?" Nevan smirked. "End turn."

Eri drew. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Nevan- 3500

Eri- 700

Nevan drew. "It's time to end this. Regenerating Mummy, attack her life points directly!" The mummy howled and charged forwards.

"Reveal Call of the Haunted!" Eri pointed at her set. "This trap lets me revive one…." The trap shattered. "The effect of Mausoleum…"

"Right. Now die!" Nevan threw back her head and laughed as the mummy dove in for the kill.

"Reverse card open! Defense Poltergeist!" Eri's face-down card flipped up. "This continuous trap lets me sacrifice one magic or trap card on my field to negate a direct attack!" A glowing barrier sprang up in front of her and blocked the mummy's attack. Her Dark Door card faded, leaving her with only her Defense Poltergeist. "When I have no other magic or trap cards in play, Defense Poltergeist is destroyed." The trap faded away.

Nevan nearly screeched in anger. "End turn!"

Eri shuddered as she looked at her empty disk. ("She has two cards in her hand, two monsters, and three face-down cards. Also, her Mausoleum card will drain me of life points every turn. I must figure out a way to defeat her…") She touched the top card of her deck and the Mausoleum released a black smoke that sprayed over her. But she didn't even notice. ("What's this energy?") Her hand tugged and the top card came off of her deck. Looking at the new card she gasped in surprise. ("This is…") Her eyes came up to look at Nevan. "Prepare to burn."

"What are you talking about? One card can't defeat me." Nevan calmly smiled and removed the whip from her belt, cracking it against the ground a couple of times with her free arm. "You're finished…"

"Not yet!" She threw the card onto her disk. "Come out now, Angel of Lumina!" (2800/2300) An angel made of light appeared on her field. "When I have five or more cards in my removed from play pile this monster can be special summoned without sacrifice!"

"That's it? It's not enough." Nevan pointed the rod of her whip at the angel. "And besides, how does that monster fit your theme?"

"It fits my theme because it is me!" Eri pointed at the face-down monster. "Angel of Lumina special ability activates! By removing my graveyard I may reveal all cards on your field! Revealing Flash!" The angel folded her wings in on themselves and released a burst of light that revealed Nevan's face-down monster.

Nevan grimaced as her set Pyramid Turtle was revealed. "So what, it won't be enough."

Eri calmly pointed at the Mummy. "Agent of Lumina doubles its attack points when it battles with a dark monster."

"What?" Nevan's eyes widened. "You can't!"

"I can!" Eri's glare promised death. "Go Angel of Lumina! Banish the darkness!" The angel began to sing, and the Regenerating mummy turned to ash. (5600/2300)

Nevan narrowed her eyes and pointed at her Mausoleum. "I activate my card's third effect. By destroying it I can do an effect similar to your Severing the Dead card. So I remove my graveyard and gain life points equal to the number of cards in it times 100."

Nevan- 4600 - 800

Eri- 800

Eri's eyes widened and she clenched her fist. "End turn."

Nevan drew and smirked. "Your monster is impressive…but still like any other monster. And one good magic card can destroy your monster without the slightest problem. So from my hand I activate Voodoo Curse! This will destroy your monster and you may draw three cards. However…you also take 100 points of damage times the number of level stars of your monster." She waved her hand like she was saying farewell. "Bye."

Nevan- 800

Eri- 0

"I lost?" Eri looked down at her graveyard. "But my Seal card was played…"

"Seal card?" Nevan rolled her eyes. "Oh, you mean those amusing little tricks that you possess." She snapped her whip in an arc and it wrapped around Eri's neck tightly. With one tug she had the demoness on the ground. "Did you think that I was any ordinary duelist?" Her arm tugged on the whip handle and Eri was dragged closer. "Foolish little dog, I am one of the most powerful duelists in the world. No man can resist my charms, and no woman can match my power." She struck a little pose, the action tightening her whip's hold on Eri's neck and pulling the demoness closer. "One of the North School's Extraordinary Eight! The fabulous mistress of the undead! I am Nevan!"

"You have a big mouth…" Eri managed to choke out.

Nevan smiled coldly and whispered into Eri's ear. "I suggest you bite your tongue…or have you forgotten that you just lost a darkness game to me." Placing one of her spiked heels on Eri's back, she used the demoness as leverage to pull her whip tighter.

Clutching at the whip, Eri closed her eyes and felt everything start to go dark. ("Ichigo…")

_To be continued…_

Author's Notes: Still accepting submissions for characters. Please do not submit 'yourself' unless they are a truly unique character. I don't mean to be rude on that matter , but think of a character that people besides yourself would enjoy seeing in this story. Thank you and disregard me if you dislike what I said.

To Bobbomp: And I'm sure he is furious.

To Anime Albino: Try readjusting the number of monsters in your deck.

To The Obsessive Zero Fan: Expect to see that card played a couple more times in this arc.

To Seeker of the Soul: One, yes you are right. I was watching Ranma at the time I was writing the end of last chapter. Second, No Rudy was not one of the Extraordinary Eight. Thirdly, yes it is. They can take your life, but taking your deck is just a new level of evil.

To Raine: All good ideas…though if Ichigo has a tail or not we'll find out soon.

To john: Did you notice that every monster Rudy played was a rock type? It was a rock deck.

To queenofgames90: Those were submissions for characters for the Duelist Academy. North School is a lot rougher than there. As for me using your character, we shall see.

To Star: You and Hogwarts-Knight have this habit of asking questions that I won't answer in the name of keeping the story surprising.

To Dais: Yep, the North School under its current management play by a set of rules that our Duelist Academy friends are going to have to learn very fast if they want to survive.

To Esyphelon: Perhaps, though I can't see what kind of deck theme that would be.

To falcon demon general: This character is going into the candidate files.

To G.O.T. Nick: Yep….I'm still juggling whether to use an existing character or a new one for the eighth.

To white wolf: You should see more of it in the future. And I'm a big Eri and Ichigo fan too.

To Lance Murdock: Nope, the North School can wait. They're just making precautions to try and disable Duelist Academy as much as possible.

To Nanashi Minimino: Don't feel too bad for him. He's not that disabled honestly.

To Justin: ; No I don't remember his cards. They were so similar to Hitokage's secondary deck strategy I didn't want to repeat myself by using Sin cards again.

To Isumo: In a world where there are only three Blue-Eyes White Dragons, how is someone supposed to use it as part of fusion except for Kaiba?

To Grizzly Under There: Talking through telepathy? That's strange…but not very interesting. I'll put it in the candidate files though.

To Aremen: That's right. The power of the North School is mysterious…but you'll soon get to learn about it.

To Hogwarts-Knight: He's going into the candidate files, though I don't promise anything in this guy's case. The fact that he is good hearted might have made it difficult for him to join the Extraordinary Eight.

To gohan11: You don't have to have a duel disk to play the game.

To omegadragon: I got the gist of what you were 'saying', but it was still a mind-bender to read. Please check your spelling and punctuation. As for the doppelganger thing….I don't think that will work. Each of the Extraordinary Eight were chosen for their special abilities and skills, but copying people perfectly….I'm not so sure about that one.

To Neo the Stampede: Well man…I'm not sure that will work. First off, Chaos Emperor Dragon is a no go. I rarely use the Chaos Gods so that they stay unique, and they've been used too soon for them to be used again. The machines maybe…but I'm not sure about that.

To Rex: Bah! Ichigo will be fine. Just watch!


	4. Lightning Strikes

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Rival School Arc

Chapter 4: Lightning strikes

Ichigo's ears perked up his sleep and he slowly opened his eyes. ("There's someone in this room…") He slowly slid out of bed and glanced around the ground nervously. "Who's there?"

"Just a friend." Something heavy and made of fabric landed in the half demon's arm. "A friend who has brought a gift so that we can duel."

Rolling his eyes, Ichigo adjusted to the darkness so that he could see his 'friend'. "Sorry buddy, but having one arm kind of puts a damper on one's ability to duel."

"Open the bag."

Ichigo held the bag with her elbow and unzipped it. What he removed looked exactly like a regular arm, if it was made of metal. "What is this thing?"

"A special device called a Duel Arm. Just hold it over your stump."

Ichigo quivered as he stared the device. ("A chance to be able to duel again…but at the same time, this guy is a stranger. Can I really trust him?") "What's the catch?"

"If you want to keep the arm, then you have to defeat me in a duel."

Willpower lost out and Ichigo held the device up to his stump. For a few moments there was blinding pain, and then like that it was gone. He looked down…and stared in awe as the arm responded to his every thought. "Wow…" He couldn't actually feel anything with the Duel Arm, but he could manipulate it with the simplest thoughts. It was not a replacement for a real arm, but it would do.

"So are we going to duel?" The voice grew a little impatient, and Ichigo could swear that he heard a duel disk turn on.

"Sure…I'll duel you. Let me just get my…" His new forearm and upper arm shifted, turning into an odd version of a duel disk. There were monster slots along the grooves in the arm, and magic/trap card slots along the inside. The hand itself whined and folded down, leaving a slot for a deck to be inserted. Shivering at the sight, Ichigo picked up his deck from his bedside and slid it into the slot. The arm reconfigured and left him with a functional hand. His deck was now out of sight.

Within the darkness of the room, the 'friend' chuckled. "I am Bolt. Now let's begin!"

Bolt- 4000

Ichigo- 4000

Ichigo ran his living hand along the length of his new arm…and blinked when something stuck to his hand. He blanched and shook it off by snapping his hand towards the window. "Sure…let's go!"

Bolt's shadowed form moved its arm in a drawing motion. "I draw and set a monster in defense mode. End turn."

While Ichigo thought this was a rather cramped place to be dueling, he wasn't going to argue with someone who has offered him a chance to duel again. "It's my turn! Draw!" He snapped the top card off of his deck and added it to his hand. "Cyber Shadow-Strongarm in attack mode!" (1900/1300) A burly warrior appeared on his field. "Brute Force Fist!" Howling out a battle cry, it slammed its fist down on the set card and blew it apart.

Bolt slid the card into his graveyard and chuckled. "You just triggered the effect of my monster. It was called Thunder Mirage (600/400) and when it is destroyed as a result of battle I may special one Mirage Swordsman (1700/700) from my deck to the field." A gold-armored warrior with a single curved scimitar in its hand appeared on the field.

Ichigo expected something to that extent. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Bolt drew. "You made a mistake by letting one of my Mirage Swordsmen make it to the field. For now I offer my monster as a tribute to bring out my mighty Zaborg the Thunder Monarch!" (2400/1000) A white-armored monster appeared on his field, electricity crackling along its body. "When this monster is tribute summoned, I destroy one monster in play! Divine Lightning!" Lifting its hands, Zaborg released a blast of lightning that hurtled towards Strongarm.

Ichigo pointed at his set card. "Reveal Shadow Barrier! This trap card negates one effect that targets a Cyber Shadow and destroys the creator of the effect!" A glowing barrier of silver energy appeared around Strongarm and blocked the lightning, bouncing it right back at Zaborg and blowing it apart.

Bolt gasped in surprise. "How in the…" He went silent for a few moments. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Ichigo drew. "I summon Cyber Shadow-Berserker (1900/1200) in attack mode!" A warrior holding a curved double-handed sword appeared on the field. "Now both of my monsters attack you directly!"

Bolt snapped his fingers and his face-down card flipped up. "Wrong. I activate my Light's Revival trap card. Now I must discard one card from my hand for every light attribute in my graveyard. If I cannot, then this trap is destroyed." He discarded three cards. "Now Zaborg, Mirage Swordsman and Thunder Mirage return!" Three monsters appeared on the field. Zaborg wasn't crackling with electricity though, and the Mirage Swordsman was in a crouching position, as was the Thunder Mirage.

Ichigo ground his teeth as his two monsters slammed into the defense mode monsters and destroyed them.

Bolt's shadowed form laughed. "Big mistake. Now I use the effect of Thunder Mirage to special summon one of my Mirage Swordsmen from my deck." A new gold armored warrior appeared on the field in a standing position. "Also, when you destroyed my other Mirage Swordsman as a result of battle I may draw one card." He slid the top card off of his deck and laughed again. "Perhaps you should reconsider your strategy."

"Perhaps you should worry about yourself." Ichigo looked at his hand and frowned. "End turn."

Bolt drew. "I play the continuous magic card Thunder Buildup. When activated this card will raise the attack of all Thunder monsters in play by 400 points for each Thunder monster in play." Electricity crackled between the Mirage Swordsman and Zaborg. (2500/700) (3200/1000)

Ichigo's eyes widened and he gulped. ("Oh man…")

"Zaborg! Unleash your Thunder Crash upon Strongarm!" The white-armored monster lifted one hand and a ball of electric energy hurled across the field, destroying the burly monster on contact.

Bolt- 4000

Ichigo- 2700

"Now Mirage Swordsman, Mirage Slash!" The gold warrior faded away and appeared behind the Berserker. With ease it slashed the warrior apart and reappeared on Bolt's field. "End turn."

Bolt- 4000

Ichigo- 2100

Ichigo gulped again and looked at his empty. ("Okay Ichigo, you can stop playing around with him anytime now and show your stuff.") He drew slowly, his eyes calm. "I summon Cyber Shadow-Shifter (800/1200) in attack mode." A black-clothed ninja appeared on his field. "Then I play the magic card Shifter's Trickery. When there is a Cyber Shadow-Shifter on my field I draw three cards." He slid three cards off of his deck and added them to his hand. "I set one card and end my turn."

Bolt drew. "You were a fool to summon that monster in attack mode. Go Zaborg, Thunder Crash!"

"Not so fast!" Ichigo pointed at his set card. "My quickplay magic card Alert Tripwire negates all attacks during this turn and lets me draw one card from my deck for every Cyber Shadow monster I have in play." He drew one card.

Bolt frowned deeper and slid a card into his deck. "I knew I should have used this card first. I activate Tempest Zone. This continuous magic card makes all Thunder monsters immune to the effects of my opponent's magic cards. End turn."

Ichigo stared at the Special Operative Weapon-Stinger card that he had drawn with Alert Tripwire. ("Great…that won't work.") He drew. "I switch Shifter into defense mode and one monster face-down. End turn."

Bolt drew. "You're nearly finished. I summon Thunder Matrix (200/1300) in attack mode." A crackling ball of lightning appeared on his field. "I union this card with Zaborg to raise its attack by 300 and make it immune to trap card effects." The lightning ball slammed into Zaborg and the Monarch's attack power leapt upwards. (3500/1000) "Now Mirage Swordsman, destroy his Shifter!" The warrior glided forward and slashed the ninja in half. "Zaborg, Thunder Crash!" The monarch's mere prescense on the field was enough to blow the set card apart.

Ichigo caught a card that was spat out of his deck. "When Cyber Shadow-Apprentice (200/300) is destroyed as a result of battle I may special summon one level four or lower Cyber Shadow from my deck to the field." He slapped a card down and a short cloth-covered warrior appeared on his field in a crouching position. "Cyber Shadow-Assassin (1000/800) in defense mode."

Bolt shrugged. "I'm still far in the lead in every aspect. End turn."

Ichigo drew. "You're not completely right. From my hand I play the equipment magic card Electric Animators." The form of his Shifter appeared on the field in a crouching position. "When played this card can special summon one monster from my graveyard to the field in defense mode. It cannot switch modes, so you're in no danger…from it at least."

Bolt narrowed his eyes. "Then why summon it?"

"Because it's time to bring out the big boys!" Ichigo held up a card from his hand. "Activate Polymerization! This magic card will fuse Cyber Shadow-Assassin and Cyber Shadow-Shifter together to create Cyber Shadow-Smoke Assassin!" (1500/800) The monster that formed was literally so vague that its real body was impossible to distinguish. All that could be told was that it was humanoid.

"That creature is so weak that why would I fear it?" Bolt pointed at Zaborg. "My Thunder Monarch alone is nearly completely immune to all effects."

"Almost doesn't mean all." Ichigo slid a card into his disk. "I activate the equipment magic card Special Operative Weapon-Breakdown Bow!" A sleek black bow appeared in the hands of the smoky being on his field. "This card will raise my monster's attack power up by 700 points." (2200/800)

"Not enough to be a threat." Bolt repeated.

"You're dead wrong. I discard one magic card from my hand to use the effect of Breakdown Bow! Now I destroy one magic or trap card in play!" The Smoke Assassin pulled back the bowstring and a glowing arrow appeared in it. It let loose and the arrow flew across the field to pierce the Thunder Buildup card and blow it apart. "Smoke Assassin special ability activate now! When any equipment card equipped to this monster destroys a card on my opponent's field, I may destroy one more card of the same type!" The Tempest Zone card shattered. "Smoke Assassin, attack Mirage Swordsman!" The Assassin dissipated and the Mirage Swordsman fell to the ground dead. Then it reappeared back on Ichigo's field.

Bolt- 3500

Ichigo- 2100

Bolt grimaced and drew a card. "As before, when a Mirage Swordsman is destroyed as a result of battle I draw one card."

Ichigo nodded and played a card onto his disk. "I end my turn by summoning Cyber Shadow-Relay (0/1600) in defense mode." A robot on tank treads with a satellite dish on top of its head appeared on the field.

Bolt drew. "It's time to destroy you already. I discard one card from my hand to activate the magic card Lightning Vortex! Now all attack mode monsters on your field will be destroyed!" Bolts of lightning rained down from the sky and blew Ichigo's two monsters apart, covering his field in a veil of smoke. "Now feel the wrath of Zaborg! Thunder Crash!" The monarch lifted its arms and released a wave of lightning that flew into the smoke veil.

When the smoke cleared Ichigo brushed his shoulder off. "Did I forget to mention that during the turn that Smoke Assassin is sent to the graveyard that all battle damage to me is zero?"

Bolt growled and slid a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

"It's my turn now! Draw!" Ichigo snapped the top card off of his deck. "Activate Pot of Greed! I draw two cards." He looked at the four cards in his hand and then inserted two into his arm slot. "I set two cards and play the continuous magic card Mirage of Nightmare. Then I summon Cyber Shadow-Shield Bearer (0/2400) in defense mode. End turn." A warrior holding a huge riot shield in front of it appeared on the field in a crouching position.

Bolt grimaced and drew. ("I already know that one of those two face-down cards must be Emergency Provisions.")

"During your standby phase I draw…"

"You draw nothing!" Bolt pointed at his set card. "Reveal Raigeki Break! By discarding one card from my hand I can destroy a card on the field. So I destroy Mirage of Nightmare before you can draw any cards!" A bolt of lightning flew out of the face-up trap and shattered Ichigo's card. "Then I play the field magic card Thunder Zone! This raises the attack power of all Thunder monsters by 500 points!" (3200/1000) "Thunder Crash!" Zaborg released a blast of lightning that blew the shield-carrying monster apart. "End turn."

Ichigo stood there quietly, his eyes wide. That was the first time ever that someone had stopped him from using Mirage of Nightmare. ("This guy isn't any ordinary duelist…") He looked down at his deck. "Here goes nothing. Draw!" The drawn card shimmered in the night. ("Alright…let's see how you deal with this.") "I activate Card of Sanctity! Now we both draw until we hold six cards in our hand!" He snapped six cards off of his deck and so did Bolt. "Now it's a whole new ball game! I activate The Warrior Returning Alive to pick up Cyber Shadow-Assassin!" He caught the card as it was spat out of his graveyard and added it to his hand.

Bolt narrowed his eyes. ("Why bring that piece of trash back?")

Ichigo held up another card. "Activate Fusion Return! This magic card lets me pick up one Polymerization card from my graveyard and add it to my hand!" He caught the said card and added it to his hand.

"So you plan on fusing another monster?" Bolt growled. "I'll crush it like all the others."

"We'll see about that!" Ichigo's Duel Arm opened a slot near the elbow joint. "I activate the field magic card Fusion Gate! As long as this card is in play we both can fuse without Polymerization! So I remove Cyber Shadow-Assassin, Cyber Shadow-Soldier (1600/1600) and Cyber Shadow-Blademaster (2000/1600) to special summon Cyber Shadow-Lord of Knives!" (2800/2300) A black trench-coat wearing warrior with a beard appeared on his field.

"Lord of Knives?" Bolt remembered that this card had been mentioned to him once.

"That's right! One of my most powerful fusions! Lord of Knives' special ability destroys one magic or trap card and one monster when he is summoned!" The warrior flicked his hands and both the Lightning Matrix and Zaborg were destroyed.

"Zaborg has been destroyed?" Bolt couldn't believe that his mighty monarch had fallen so easily.

"I'm not done yet! Lord of Knives attacks your life points directly!" The warrior struck a pose and then snapped his arm towards the other duelist.

Bolt was pummeled with knives and sent to his knees.

Bolt- 700

Ichigo- 2100

Ichigo slid a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Bolt slowly stumbled to his feet. "You're good…but I'm better! Draw!" He looked at the drawn card and started to laugh crazily.

"What are you laughing about?" Ichigo narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I'm laughing because you're finished! First I play the quickplay magic card De-Fusion!" Bolt slammed the card into his disk and snickered. "This card will force your fusion back down into its base pieces. But since those pieces are in your removed from play pile, all you do is lose the fusion!" Lord of Knives turned into a ball of light and then blew apart.

Ichigo clenched his fist. ("He's prepared for me. I doubt De-Fusion is part of his normal deck.")

Bolt chuckled and slapped a card down. "I summon Thunder Nyan-Nyan!" (1900/900) A cat-girl with a drum appeared on the field. "And then I play the equipment magic card Thunder Drum! This card only can be equipped to Thunder Nyan-Nyan!" The drums around the cat-girl's neck doubled in size. "This card allows her to attack twice and also deal damage through defense! Double Drum Roll!"

Ichigo gritted his teeth and pointed at one of his set cards. "I reveal the quickplay magic card Safeguard! This will protect me from one attack!"

Thunder Nyan-Nyan meowed cutely and started beating on the drum. A steel shield appeared in front of Ichigo and blocked the first wave of destructive sound, but the second blew the shield apart and it washed over Ichigo.

Bolt- 700

Ichigo- 200

Bolt shrugged and slid two cards into his disk. "I set two cards face-down on the field. End turn."

Ichigo looked down at his deck….and drew. "I don't know who prepared you for me, but let's how you deal with something you've never seen before. Reveal Return from the Different Dimension! This card requires half of my life points but lets me special summon as many removed from play monsters as I can!" The forms of Assassin, Soldier and Blademaster reappeared on his field. "Go Polymerization!" The three monsters were pulled into a vortex and the Lord of Knives emerged. "Lord of Knives special ability go!" The warrior flicked its wrist and the Thunder Nyan-Nyan and one of the two set cards were torn to shreds.

Bolt shook his head sadly. "You just did exactly what I knew you would do! Reveal Emergence of the Thunder Monarch! This trap triggers when a Thunder monster on my field is destroyed. I may discard a card from my hand to special summon Zaborg the Thunder Monarch to my field from the graveyard. Also, I may discard an additional card to activate its effect." A blast of lightning exploded from his graveyard and slammed into the Lord of Knives, blowing it apart. Then the lightning arched around the field and slammed down onto his monster zone, where it turned into the Thunder Monarch. "You're finished. Just surrender and I'll be taking back my arm and all things in it. This of course includes your deck. Don't worry though, because that deck is a hindrance to you. After all, I knew how to counter everything you used in it."

"Are you so sure about that?" Ichigo smirked and held up the drawn card. "My card combo is almost done! But first let me show you my physical avatar!" He slapped the card onto his disk. "Come out now, Brave Wolf Swordsman!" (1400/1200) The warrior that appeared on the field looked just like Ichigo, except it was dressed in archaic armor and had a longsword at its side.

"Brave Wolf Swordsman?" Bolt stared at the new monster. ("I was never told he had anything like that in his deck…")

Ichigo pointed at his remaining set card. "Reveal Hero's Shield!" The card flipped up and blew apart, reforming into a mirror-like shield around the arm of the Brave Wolf Swordsman. "Now attack his Zaborg!" Lifting its sword, the warrior charged.

"Are you out of your mind?" Bolt frowned. "My monster will crush yours." Zaborg lifted a hand and lightning arched out of it towards the Brave Wolf Swordsman. "You're finished."

The Brave Wolf Swordsman skidded to a stop and lifted the shield. It caught the lightning blast and reflected it back at Zaborg, blowing the monarch apart. Then the shield itself exploded into dust.

Bolt nearly face-fell. "What the hell was that?"

"Hero's Shield destroys whatever monster Brave Wolf Swordsman battles with." Ichigo smirked and his physical avatar smirked as well.

"But why wasn't your monster destroyed?"

"Because Brave Wolf Swordsman cannot be destroyed as a result of battle! Now Hero's Shield allows my monster to attack once more when it is destroyed! Go Hero's Slash!" The warrior leapt into the air with an echoing battle cry and came down right in front of Bolt.

The lightning duelist turned pale as the Brave Wolf Swordsman smirked at him right before it slashed its sword across his chest.

Bolt- 0

Ichigo- 100

Bolt fell to his knees and stared up at the ceiling of the room. "How could I have lost? My deck was fully prepared for nearly every card you had…"

Ichigo removed his deck from the Duel Arm and shuffled it, placing it in his shirt pocket. "Sorry if you thought that pre-planning would help you beat me. Maybe that'll teach you to just go into a battle with your own personal cards rather than some cards just because they are necessary for you to 'win'." He waved with the metal Duel Arm and grinned. "And thanks for the gift, by the way."

Bolt growled and held up a small remote. "If you think I'm letting you take that, you're wrong." He pressed down on a button on the remote.

Ichigo was sent stumbling forwards as the window and wall behind him exploded. "What in the hell was that?"

Bolt's eyes widened. "But the explosive charge I stuck to the arm…"

Ichigo thought for a few seconds and then snapped his new steel fingers together. "Oh yeah! That thing caught on my finger and I flicked it away. Doesn't that stink?"

The boy hopped up and shoved Ichigo back a couple of steps. "DIE!" He pressed another button and Ichigo heard a beep come from the back that he was now standing on. And then everything went up in an explosion of flame and dust.

Bolt was thrown against the back wall. He quickly got back onto his feet and sneered calmly. "Farewell. And I bet that Nevan has finished off that demon bitch too. North School will reign supreme at the meet, since the best duelists of this school will have been disabled." He threw back his head and laughed wildly.

His laughter died short when he heard footsteps within the smoke cloud that had been caused by the explosion. "Impossible…"

Ichigo, his hair and irises night black, stepped into view. "What was that about Eri?"

* * *

_Nevan smiled coldly and whispered into Eri's ear. "I suggest you bite your tongue…or have you forgotten that you just lost a darkness game to me." Placing one of her spiked heels on Eri's back, she used the demoness as leverage to pull her whip tighter._

_Clutching at the whip, Eri closed her eyes and felt everything start to go dark. ("Ichigo…")_

Nevan tapped her chin with her free hand. "Perhaps I should turn you into a dog? Or maybe I'll just flay you apart?"

Eri choke-snarled and dug her claws into the whip, trying to tear it apart.

Nevan noticed this and her eyes turned cold. "Never…ever….mess with my whip!" Her spiked heel removed itself from Eri's back and she pulled the demoness onto her back. Without the slightest hesitation Nevan slammed her heel down into the center of Eri's chest, the heel piercing through skin and muscle. It only stopped when it tapped the bone of Eri's ribs. "Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

Eri gasped in pain and tried to make a move against her attacker…but found all of the strength in her limbs gone.

"You can't fight me. I beat you in the darkness game, so you are unable to physically injure me if I will it." The blond-haired girl pushed her heel in deeper. "I've decided what I am going to do with you. Let's see how well you do without something that I'm sure has kept you alive for all of this time."

The demoness felt pain spike through her body in ways that she never had through possible. It was like every inch of her was being drained of its life.

Nevan shuddered at the delicious groans of pain she heard. "Keep it up…I love the sound…of your…" Suddenly she screamed in pain as she felt her back actually indent into a tree. Something like a steel clamp was squeezing her neck roughly. "What…." Her eyes came back into focus and she met a pair of cold, dark irises.

Ichigo held Nevan against the tree, which was located about twenty feet from Eri. "Are you going to remove your penalty game now? Or will I get the pleasure of tearing out your fingernails one at a time?"

Eri slowly rolled over and coughed up some blood, her eyes watching Ichigo. ("Is this the Dark Halo that I heard my father talk about? It's made him so cold….so angry…") The pain in her chest was forgotten as her heart fluttered at the dark tone in Ichigo's voice.

Nevan gasped for air and kicked Ichigo in the ribs a couple of times. The half demon responded by slamming her body much harder against the tree. ("What is this guy?")

Ichigo heard Eri's breathing and felt slightly more relieved. "Since she seems unharmed I won't torture you…much. Maybe you'll get off with nothing if you undo the damage I know you have caused."

Nevan smirked enough to reveal a glistening elongated canine tooth. "Kill me and what has happened to her will never be repaired. Then again though, why would you even want a girl like her? She's soft. I on the other hand am very powerful." Her hand snapped up and grabbed Ichigo's metal wrist, squeezing.

The half demon lifted his eyebrows slightly as her actually heard the servos in the arm strain to fight back against the girl's grip. He waited a few moments, and then stopped her efforts by throwing her to the ground at his side. "What did you do to her?" A glowing bead of energy charged up at his fingertip. "I suggest you tell me now. Or else I'll blow that pretty head of yours right off."

Nevan stood up and brushed herself off. "Why don't you take a look at her for yourself? I promise to be a good girl and not run away." She lewdly winked at him, and his reply was to grab her by the throat and lift her up into the air. Then he turned around to look at Eri.

And he nearly dropped Nevan in surprise. The girl who was still kneeling on the ground was nearly Eri…except that she lacked that energy that Ichigo knew too well. Her ears were gone…her claws were so short they could almost be…

Nevan was suddenly flying through the air, before she hit the ground and skidded out of control. That stopped when she hit a boulder. A few moments later she stood up and brushed herself off. "I see you figured it out." Her new blond wolf ears perked slightly and she calmly smiled.

Ichigo calmly walked across the thirty foot expanse between them with murder in his eyes. "Return her demon blood before I rip you open and manually get every drop back."

The new demoness giggled and pouted. "But don't I look…" She went silent as a small ball of energy flew past her head and turned the boulder behind her into dust particles.

"One…" Ichigo moved his hand slightly so that it was pointing directly at her. "Two…." A new bead developed at the tip of his finger. "Three…." The bead grew bigger. "Four…."

Nevan's tail curled around her waist and she shivered. She didn't want to give back what she had earned fair and square. "I don't want to!"

Arches of electricity crackled along Ichigo's form. "Five." The bead fired from his finger with the force of a bullet.

Nevan flinched…but blinked in surprise when she saw someone step in front of her and casually backhand the blast away.

Ichigo looked just as surprised. "And just who are you?"

The interfering person was a young man in a black muscle shirt with long jacket and black pants. His eyes and hair were both a strange reddish-black color. "I am Vincent."

Nevan clapped her hands together excitedly and glomped onto the boy. "Vincy!"

Vincent smiled slightly. "Looking good babe."

Nevan grinned and hugged him tighter.

Ichigo growled low in his throat and cracked his knuckles. "I don't know who you are…but I suggest you tell her to restore Eri's demon blood."

Nevan slid off of Vincent and the dark-clothed boy slid into a fighting stance. "I'll tell you what…if you can make me move five feet from this spot, I'll tell her to restore the bitch's blood."

Ichigo closed his eyes and sighed. "Don't cry when I make a fool out of you."

_To be continued…_

Author's Notes: Excuse that this chapter is a little later than the first three. I'm still accepting character submissions, by the way.

To Raine Vindicare: Indeed…Nevan is North School's Eri.

To Grizzly Under There: Meh…..

To D.D. Dragonknight: It's a good set of cards….but I'm not sure if I really want to use it. I'll put it in the candidate files.

To queenofgames90: Maybe….I'm not sure.

To Justin: In his duel against Kenshin he used Hell Envy (One of the sins) and Hell Vanguard (Not a sin but part of that family).

To Dais: You could make that your catch phrase…but it isn't that original. I've heard many people use it before.

To Vyser Adept of Dragons: An annoyance deck? Errr……that's stall. Writing stall gives me headaches and clogs down the chapter.

To scapegoat: Going straight to the candidate folder. Scapegoat deck is a funny thing.

To omegadramon: I'll consider it, but Replica still takes the cake for deck copying….

To Esyphelon: It isn't that. It's the fact that those two don't make any thematic sense in the same deck.

To Seeker of the Soul: Characters from you are always welcome.

To Hogwarts-Knight: Chaos did kill her. You have been corrected.

To whitewolf: Disabled duelists are hard to do….and not in the hard way that makes them interesting. I prefer for someone's personality to highlight them, not their disability.

To Aremen: Exactly right. The Extraordinary Eight are very tough.

To Gryphinwyrm: He's gone into the candidate files. I'm not sure whether I could run that deck though…just because it is a totally original deck that I didn't make up.

To G.O.T. Nick: I received Giyan and will see if I can use your Balance cards.

To WOLFY: Sestros cannot die. Hence you waste your efforts trying to do so.

To Rex: Ichigo's a cowboy?

To Grisham: This guy sounds so quirky that he's going into the candidate files.

To adanaC: Another entry for the candidate files.

To Isumo: One of these days Daniel will settle the score with Kaiba. I don't know when…or where….but it will happen.

To Botox: No. I named him that because it was suggested by a good friend. I later learned what it meant.

To falcon demon general: She's gotten jacked….that she has.

To Sinisterlaw: Rebecca moved to New York and became a famous clothing designer. Her son Richard Pilkington believes that Ichigo's Cyber Shadows are the prime rivals of his Divine Agents.


	5. A rude awakening

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Rival School Arc

Chapter 5: A rude awakening

_Ichigo growled low in his throat and cracked his knuckles. "I don't know who you are…but I suggest you tell her to restore Eri's demon blood."_

_Nevan slid off of Vincent and the dark-clothed boy slid into a fighting stance. "I'll tell you what…if you can make me move five feet from this spot, I'll tell her to restore the bitch's blood."_

_Ichigo closed his eyes and sighed. "Don't cry when I make a fool out of you."_

Vincent would have said more but he was suddenly moving as quickly as he could just to avoid getting struck by the flurry of fists that went towards him. ("What incredible power!")

Ichigo didn't want to break his new Duel Arm on accident, so he kept it behind his back while his left arm took a few casual (to him) swipes at his opponent. "Care to save your ego and give up?"

Vincent narrowed his eyes and took one step back to put him out of range of the immediate threat.

Ichigo lowered his arm and lifted up his Duel Arm. "That's one step." He took another step forward, catching Vincent's leg as it snapped for his head. With one tug he brought the boy to his back, and then pushed his leg and him backwards three more feet. "One left."

Vincent growled and leapt up, his fist striking Ichigo in the side of the head. "What are you?"

Ichigo had caught the punch right before it had touched his face. It had been close though, to the point that his knuckle was touching his cheek. "You're pretty quick for a human."

"Who ever said that I was human?" Vincent snarled and his other fist launched up to shatter Ichigo's jaw.

"I assumed too much then." Ichigo snapped up his leg and brought it down, hitting Vincent's fist with its sole and forcing the boy to his knees. "Now release Eri's blood."

"I still have one step left!"

"True." Ichigo cocked back the fist of his Duel Arm. "Hold your chin still for a second."

Vincent's eyes widened as Ichigo slammed his fist right into the boy's mouth. Yet he didn't budge. A few seconds passed and he lifted his eyes to look right into Ichigo's. "That hurt…"

Ichigo frowned and lined up his fist again. "This time you won't be awake to feel the pain."

"We'll see about that!" Vincent snapped his arm free from under Ichigo's foot and leapt to his feet.

Ichigo blinked in surprise as the assault that was launched at him actually forced him to pay attention. "You are definitely good."

"I'm better than you think!" Vincent pressed his attack, actually gaining back two feet. And then he lost those feet as Ichigo punched him right in the ribs and sent him stumbling backwards.

* * *

Daniel sighed and threw his jacket onto a chair. "Is there a reason you called me out here in the middle of the night, King?"

"Yes there is." The gold-robed professor stood on the floor of the Obelisk Blue arena. And he had his Duel Coat on. "Are you ready to begin?"

"Begin?" Daniel rolled his eyes. "Why would I want to duel you?"

"Because I challenge you. The winner is the chaperone who goes with the group of students to the meet." Midas smirked. "Would you turn down such a challenge?"

Daniel sighed and picked up his duel disk from its place in his duffel bag. "Fine, whatever. If it'll shut you up on the subject of the damned meet."

"That's your problem! You don't fully understand how dangerous North School is!" Midas waved his hand over the motion reader of his disk and it spat out five cards. "Let's begin!"

Daniel stepped onto the arena and drew five cards. "I think you are taking this whole thing far too seriously."

Midas waved his hand over the reader and it spat out a card. "I'll show you the truth. You must have pride in this school for you to hold your own against North School! First I play Pot of Greed to draw cards!"

("I can't forget that…his deck is based on drawing cards.") Daniel looked down at his hand and then up at his opponent. "Is that it?"

"No. I also set a monster in defense mode and end my turn." Midas smirked as a horizontal brown-backed card appeared on his field.

Daniel frowned and drew. ("He's conserving his hand.") "I set one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Midas waved his hand over the reader and caught his new card. "I'm not done yet. Now you feel the power of greed! I flip up Magician of Faith (300/400) into attack mode!" A blue-robed female magician appeared in play. "When this monster is flipped up I pick up one magic card from my graveyard. So I pick up Pot of Greed and play it again!" He caught two new cards and added them to his hand, giving him nine cards total. "Also, I summon Giant Rat!" (1400/1450) A huge gray rat appeared on his field. "Attack the set monster now!" Screeching fiercely, the beast leapt across the field and tore the set card apart. "Also, Magician of Faith attacks your life points directly!" A golden light shimmered over Daniel. "Then I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Daniel- 3700

Midas- 4000

Daniel drew. ("He made one big mistake that I'm about to capitalize on.") "I set one card face-down and summon Dark Catapulter (700/1500) in defense mode." A black turtle-like robot appeared on his field in a crouching position. "End turn."

Midas drew. "I play Mystical Space Typhoon on your set card!" A blast of wind shattered the set card. "And then I flip up Reckless Avarice! This trap card lets me sacrifice my next two draw phases to draw two cards right now." He slid two cards off of his deck. "I switch my monsters into defense mode and set a monster face-down. Also I set one magic/trap card face-down. End turn."

Daniel drew. ("I've got your number. You're biding your time until you can get your Enraged Muka Muka into play.") "Dark Catapulter, once per turn, gets a turn counter onto it while it is in defense mode. I remove this counter and the monster in my graveyard to destroy the set card on the right! Burning Shot!" A blast of flame launched off of the metal turtle and shattered the set card. Then it immediately reformed on Midas' field.

"When you do this I activate the targeted card. It is the quickplay magic card Reload, and it lets me shuffled my hand into my deck and draw an equal number of cards." The professor shuffled his hand into his deck and drew six cards.

Daniel took a deep breath. "End turn then."

Midas pointed at his deck and the motion reader beeper. "One more turn without a draw phase. So I set two cards face-down and flip up my next Reload. My hand goes into my deck and I draw a new hand of four cards." He drew four new cards and pointed at his set monster. "I flip up another Magician of Faith, and once again use Pot of Greed." He drew twice.

"You'll deck at this rate." Daniel knew that while Midas could only stall for so long.

"That's what you think. I'm not so stupid." Midas slid a card into his disk. "So I play the continuous magic card Draw Cycle. This card works so that whenever I draw cards outside of my draw phase, I place the bottom card of my graveyard on the bottom of my deck. Then I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Daniel drew. ("That's better.") "I play the magic card Reinforcements of the Army. So I search my deck for one level four or less warrior and add it into my hand." He took the drawn card and slapped it onto his disk. "I summon Elemental Hero Wildman!" (1500/1200) A brown-skinned man in a loincloth with a heavy sword strapped to his back appeared on the field. "Now attack the Magician of Faith! Wild Slash!" Grunting, the superhero leapt forwards and slashed the attack mode spellcaster apart. "End turn."

Daniel- 3700

Midas- 2800

Midas pointed at his deck and it beeper again. "And now I can draw during my draw phase again." He smirked. "I switch Giant Rat into attack mode and order it to attack Wildman!" The rat charged at the warrior and was cut in half. "When destroyed as a result of battle, I may special summon an earth attribute monster to the field from my deck that has 1500 or less attack points!"

Daniel- 3700

Midas- 2700

Daniel's eyes widened. "Oh no…"

"Oh yes." Midas removed a card from his deck and placed it onto his playing field. "Go Enraged Muka Muka!" (1200/900) A huge rock-covered crab monster appeared on the field. "For every card in my hand Enraged Muka Muka gains 400 attack points!" He held out his four cards. "However, I flip up my face-down Reckless Avarice! Now I draw two cards!" The golden professor snapped two cards off of his deck. "And because I drew cards outside of my draw phase, I place the bottom card of my graveyard at the bottom of my deck." He did so and smirked as steam sprayed out of the cracks in his monster's armoring. (3600/3300) "Attack Wildman!" The crab chattered out something and snapped the superhero in half with its claws.

Daniel- 1600

Midas- 2700

Daniel shuddered in pain. ("Damn…that thing is tough.")

Midas smirked at Daniel. "End turn."

Daniel drew slowly, his eyes narrowed. "School spirit is in the eye of the beholder. I celebrate all dueling in general." He slid a card from his hand into his graveyard. "Now let me show your Enraged Muka Muka what School spirit really means! I activate Special Hurricane!" A blast of wind flew across the field and blew the crab apart. "All monsters that have been special summoned are now destroyed! End turn."

Midas frowned and his Coat beeped. "It's my turn then. I play Monster Reborn on Enraged Muka Muka!" The crab monster reappeared. "Then I flip up my face-down monster! Go Tribute Boat!" (800/1400) He pointed at the boat and his Magician of Faith. "By sacrificing this monster when it flips up and one other monster, I can draw two cards." He snapped two new cards off of his deck. (4000/3700) "Now Enraged Muka Muka, attack his Dark Catapulter!" The crab reached over and snapped the machine monster in half. "Then I set a card face-down and end my turn." (3600/3300)

Daniel drew. ("Here's my chance.") "I play the magic card The Warrior Returning Alive. Now I take one warrior monster from my graveyard and add it to my hand!" He held up a card and threw it down. "Return Elemental Hero Wildman in defense mode!" The brown-skinned warrior appeared on the field in a crouching position. "Then I equip him with the equipment magic card Cyclone Boomerang!" A huge wooden boomerang appeared alongside the sword on Wildman's back. "This raises his attack points by 500." (2000/1200) "Then I set one card face-down on the field and activate Mirage of Nightmare. End turn."

"You think to draw cards hmm?" Midas pointed at his coat and it beeped again, symbolizing he was free of the effect of Reckless Avarice.

Daniel pointed at the Mirage of Nightmare card, which was glowing green. "During your standby phase I draw until I hold four cards in my hand!" He snapped three cards off of his deck and added them to his hand.

Midas threw a card onto his disk. "Go Math Magician!" (1500/1200) A bizarre long-bearded spellcaster appeared on his field. "When this monster is summoned I discard the top card of my deck to my graveyard." He slid the top card off and discarded it. "But when he is destroyed as a result of battle I draw one card."

Daniel gritted his teeth.

"Go Math Magician! Attack Wildman with Battle Curriculum!" The spellcaster lifted its staff and a stream of glowing numbers flew towards Wildman.

"Reverse card open!" Daniel's face-down card flipped up. "Hero Barrier negates one attack as long as there is an Elemental Hero in play." A swirling blue barrier sprang up and blocked the numbers.

Midas snapped his fingers and points at Wildman. "Go Enraged Muka Muka!" The crab charged forwards and tore the superhero apart. "So take that!"

"Take nothing! You just made a big mistake by sending Cyclone Boomerang to the graveyard!" Daniel held up the equipment magic card. "When this card is equipped to Wildman and it is sent to the graveyard then all magic and trap cards in play are destroyed! Also, you will take 500 life points of damage for each card!"

Midas grimaced and pointed at one of his two set cards. "I activate the quickplay magic card Haggling Trickery! This card only activates when it would be destroyed. Now we both discard a card from our hands." He slid one of his precious cards into the graveyard, but now he would take 500 less damage.

Daniel- 1600

Midas- 1500

Daniel looked down at his hand and smirked. "I know just what to discard." He slid a card into his graveyard. "And because Mirage of Nightmare was destroyed I keep my other three cards."

Midas growled. "End turn!" (3000/900)

Daniel drew. "It's my turn now!" He looked at the drawn card and smiled calmly. "It's time to get rid of that giant butt-ugly crab right now! First I play Monster Reborn to revive Elemental Hero Edgeman!" (2600/1400) A gold-armored superhero that looked capable of cutting nearly any material appeared on the field.

"Edgeman?" Midas stared at the superhero in pure surprise. "But…how?"

"You should know all too well how it got into my graveyard. You sent it there yourself with your magic card!" Daniel thrust his fist into the air. "It's time to take back this duel!"

"Enraged Muka Muka has 3000 attack points!"

"That it does….and I thank you for it." Daniel opened his field magic card slot. "Because one less card and I wouldn't have been able to use this! Go Skyscraper!" All around them huge buildings sprang up, turning the dueling field into a city nightscape. "While this card is in play, whenever a monster with hero in its name battles with a stronger monster it will gain 1000 attack points!" He pointed at the Enraged Muka Muka. "Power Edge Attack!" (3600/1400) Jets opened in the back of Edgeman's armor and it launched right through the Enraged Muka Muka, blowing it apart.

Daniel- 1600

Midas- 900

Midas stared at the spot where his monster had been. "My mighty Muka Muka…"

Daniel placed a card into his disk and then one onto his disk. "I set one card face-down and summon Friendog (700/1200) in defense mode." A black machine dog appeared on his field in a crouching position. "End turn."

Midas drew. "I play the magic card Reversal of Fortune!" A golden die bounced around on the field and landed on a one. "Now I destroy all face-up cards in play!" Edgeman, Friendog, and Skyscraper all disappeared.

Daniel stared at his nearly empty disk with wide eyes. "When Friendog is sent to the graveyard I pick up an Elemental Hero and a Polymerization card. Since there is no Polymerization card in my graveyard I'll just pick up Wildman."

Midas pointed at him. "Math Magician, direct attack! Battle Curriculum!" The wizard lifted its staff and a stream of number launched towards Daniel.

The half wolf demon pointed at his set card. "Go Mirror Force! This trap will negate your attack and destroy all attacking monsters on your field!" A glowing blue barrier leapt up and absorbed the numbers, then retaliating with a shotgun blast of energy that blew the spellcaster away.

Midas place a card face-down on his disk and then two cards into it. "I set two cards face-down and a monster. End turn."

Daniel drew. "Come out now, Elemental Hero Bubbleman!" (800/1200) A blue-armored superhero appeared on his field and struck a curious pose. "When this monster is summoned and I have no cards on my field, I draw two cards." He slid two cards off of his deck and added them to his hand. "End turn."

Midas drew. "By placing Bubbleman in attack mode you've sealed your fate! Go Golbin of Greed!" (1000/1800) An obese green goblin appeared on his field. "I flip up my face-down Gold Die. This lets me discard two cards from my hand to increase the attack of one monster on my field by 1000 points. Also, every turn it will gain 1000 more attack points." (2000/1800) Cackling, the Goblin leapt forwards and tackled the superhero, blowing it apart. "End turn!"

Daniel- 400

Midas- 900

Daniel looked down at his deck and then up at his fellow professor. "You're good King…but I intend to be the one to go to that meet!"

"Your resolve is impressive…" Midas closed his eyes. "So show me your determination!"

"Oh I will!" Daniel snapped the top card off of his deck. (3000/1800) He looked at the drawn card and his eyes widened hugely. "That's it…I've got it!"

"What?"

Daniel held up the drawn card. "I play Magnetic Recovery! This magic card lets me return one machine monster in my graveyard to the field in defense mode!"

"What could you possibly special summon that would be a threat to me?"

"This! Come out now, Elemental Hero Cyberman!" (1300/1800) A half-man half-machine monster appeared onto his field in a crouching position. "This monster counts as both a machine and a warrior."

"That's it?" Midas frowned. "How will that defeat me?"

"It's all part of a plan!" Daniel slapped down another card. "Go Elemental Hero Wildman!" For the third time in this duel the wild superhero returned. "And now your end comes at the true potential of the Elemental Heroes! Activate Polymerization!" Both monsters were pulled into a glowing vortex. "Elemental Hero Berserk Steelman!" (2400/1000) The monster that emerged from the vortex looked like Wildman in the armor of Cyberman. "This monster lets me remove machine monsters from my graveyard to raise its attack points by 500 each time!" Daniel held up three cards. "I remove Friendog, Dark Catapulter and Cyberman!" (3900/1000) "Go Berserk Steelman, Steam-Drive Slash!" Steam shot out of openings in the hero's armor and he charged forwards, cutting the Goblin of Greed apart with his sword. "And that's the game."

Daniel- 400

Midas- 0

Midas sighed. "At least make sure you win."

"But of course." Daniel smiled and walked off.

* * *

Ichigo sighed and elbowed Vincent in the ribs for the fiftieth time, sending the boy back to the four step mark. "Just give up. I'd prefer not to kill you."

Vincent fell to his knees and shuddered. His eyes closed and he hung his head.

"Is that surrender?" Ichigo felt tired, but not very much so. He'd used more energy pulling his punches than anything else.

Eri, still getting used to the change in balance, growled angrily at Nevan from her spot propped up against a tree. "Your boyfriend is going to die if he doesn't surrender. So give me back my damned demon blood!"

Nevan pouted and her tail flicked back and forth. "But I'm starting to like it. And besides, what are you talking about? Vincent's just getting warmed up."

"What?" Eri's eyes widened and she looked over at Ichigo.

Ichigo sighed. "Alright, that's enough. Time for you to die." He pointed his finger at the boy's still hanging head, a bead of energy developing at the tip of the digit. "Die or surrender, your choice."

Vincent's shoulders started to rise up and down as he began laughing. Then he lifted his head enough that his blood red eyes could be seen. "I was about to ask you the same thing."

"What?" Ichigo barely had time to react before he felt a fist crash into his nose and send him flying backwards thirty feet into a tree. His back arched as it crashed, and he gasped in pain. ("That…hurt?")

Vincent cracked his knuckles and wiped some dirt off of his cheek. "And now the real fun begins." His form shimmered and blurred out of existence.

Ichigo recovered from his shock just in time to see Vincent shimmer into existence in front of him. "Damn…"

"Let's get this party started!" Vincent threw back his head and howled wildly. He went straight from howling to attacking, his fists striking Ichigo all over.

Ichigo tried as hard as he could to keep up with this sudden change in speed, but all he could was prevent any of the punches from doing long-lasting damage.

"I know you can do better than that!" Vincent drove a haymaker across Ichigo's face and followed up with a claw swipe along the half demon's neck. He glanced at his now bleeding claws and smirked, licking the red liquid away. "Yum…"

Eri stared in complete confusion. "But how…."

Nevan howled again and started cheering. "Go Vincy!"

Ichigo squeezed his eyes shut as pain flashed in head from another blow to his skull.

Vincent grinned crazily and slammed his fist into Ichigo's throat. "How's it feel to have the tables turned on you?" He lined up his fist with reeling half demon's face. "And here's the finish!" His fist snapped out…

And was intercepted by Ichigo's hand. His eyes opened to reveal emerald irises. "Let's see you deal with someone used to fighting!"

"Wha…" Vincent's word was stopped by a fist to the jaw. He stumbled backwards and tried to regain his lost balance.

Ahran narrowed his eyes. "So you want to prevent my sister from regaining that which is rightfully hers hmm?" The spirit cracked his knuckles and then popped his neck. "Let me show the error of your ways."

Vincent tasted blood….his blood. That last blow had cut his lip open. "I see…" He wiped the blood away and charged forwards. "Let's see what you can do!"

Ahran side-stepped the charging boy swiftly and slammed his elbow down into the back of Vincent's neck. "No match for me."

Vincent ate dirt for about three seconds and then shimmered out of sight.

Ahran looked straight ahead. He smirked and snapped his fist behind him, catching Vincent in the ribs. "Surrender." Vincent disappeared again. "Fine, be stubborn." He closed his eyes.

Eri stared at her brother with true amazement in her eyes.

Nevan was just pale. "Vincy?"

Ahran's ears perked up as he heard Vincent come in directly in front of him. That focus was shattered as he felt three other sets of feet approaching him in perfect syncopation. ("You want to try that trick?")

On all four sides of Ahran there was a copy of Vincent. Each one grinned sickly and lifted their fists…

Ahran's form shimmered and from the waist up he seemed to quadruple, four different Ahrans driving their fists into the mouth of each Vincent. Three of each of the two faded away like mist, while the last ones both stayed in their positions for a moment. Then Vincent realized he had been hit as he bounced along the grass like an out of control pinball, finally stopping when he slammed into a hunk of rock. Though the rock was pretty much completely destroyed.

"Did you think I couldn't detect the real you? You should know not to use the self shadow technique against someone of similar speed to you." Ahran lifted up his hand and pointed his index finger at his fallen foe. A bead of light developed there…and fired with the force of a bullet that had the explosive power of a chunk of plastic explosives. Then he fired another…and another…and they just kept coming.

Eri hopped up and down, cheering loudly. She knew it was out of character, but this was her awesome brother at work.

Nevan turned even paler. "No Vincy lose?"

Ahran narrowed his eyes. "So are we done here?"

The huge dust cloud he created dissipated to reveal Vincent standing. His jacket was lying in torn shreds at his feet. "You're better than the wimp. But I am Vincent Garlin. I do not lose!" His form shimmered and he sneered enough to show his fangs. "Time to bleed." Then he disappeared.

Ahran closed his eyes to concentrate…and felt huge amounts of pain as claws dug into his chest. He winced and snapped his eyes open to look at Vincent, who was right in front of him. "So fast…"

Vincent leapt forwards and slammed his forehead against Ahran's driving the boy backwards. "Come on dog!" Ahran stumbled backwards and screamed as Vincent's claws dug into his left arm. "Where's your smug talk now?"

Ahran lifted his finger to point right at Vincent's eye. "It'll be back in a second."

Vincent sneered and grabbed Ahran's finger, breaking it casually. "Not if I remove your tongue first." His other arm arched as his claws tore four lines in Ahran's chest tissue.

Ahran gasped in surprise and aimed his hand at the ground. There was a burst of force and dust exploded up from the ground like a cloud.

Vincent felt Ahran leave the area right in front of him and smirked. "Where are you going? Don't you want to play?" He opened his palm slowly, a glowing ball of orange light in the center of it. "Abyssal Sun!" He threw the ball and it turned into a miniature sun of energy that slammed right into the retreating Ahran.

The wolf demon screamed in pain as he was swallowed up by the Abyssal Sun. It carried him a hundred feet along the ground and then exploded; creating a momentary vortex of air and then launching him back in the same direction he had come from.

Vincent wound up his fist and punched, the blow connecting with Ahran as the wolf demon made his return trip. "Welcome back!" His fist uncurled to reveal another Abyssal Sun. "And good-bye!" The sun fired right into Ahran's head and sent him launching backwards again. "But here's a gift for the road!" Vincent opened his palms and held them outstretched towards his opponent. At each fingertip there was a single Abyssal Sun.

The Abyssal Sun that pushed Ahran along by the face exploded and dropped his to the ground twenty feet from Vincent. He gasped as he could finally breathe again. Even though every breath hurt, he needed air…

Vincent leapt into the air high above his opponent. "Die! Ten Star Abyssal Annihilation!" He snapped his hands and all ten of the glowing suns dropped. Each one exploded in size and pummeled the same spot….exactly where Ahran was.

"Ahran!" Eri started to run towards that spot…but Nevan grabbed her by the collar and held her in place.

"We can't have you dying now." The new demoness sneered. "If anyone kills you, it will be me."

"It's over." Vincent landed on the spot where he had been standing before.

The crater his attack had caused was something similar to as if a meteor the size of a house had fallen from space onto the ground.

"You cannot defeat me. I am far too powerful for you." Vincent glanced back at Nevan. "We're leaving."

"I'm…not…done….yet…" A burnt and badly bruised form pulled itself out of the crater.

Vincent glanced behind him at the crater and chuckled. "You still have enough strength to stand?"

Ichigo slowly came to his feet. ("Even Ahran couldn't beat this guy. So what am I supposed to do?") He wasn't a martial artist. ("I'm a duelist…but Ahran is down for the count…")

Vincent lifted up his hand, a basketball-sized Abyssal Sun floating over it. "This is the end. Have a nice sleep in hell."

("What can I use….") Ichigo's eyes widened in realization. ("The explosion from that attack….it's like a vacuum…..") He dropped to one knee.

"Most people would think of something witty to say before they kill an annoyance. But you're not even worth the effort." Vincent wound up and threw the Abyssal Sun with all of his strength.

Ichigo felt his left fist shudder as electricity gathered around it. ("What's left of my strength…let's see if the Dark Halo can do this.") He dropped his head just enough that the Abyssal Sun flew past him. "Here I go…" The Abyssal Sun exploded as close as it could…sucking in the surrounding air to fuel the blast. It grew larger and larger….and finally reached its limit.

"One dead dog." Vincent squinted his eyes against the brightness of his own attack. And then his eyes widened as he saw something approaching him like a missile.

Lying flat out, Ichigo wound up his crackling fist as he shot by and slammed it with all of his strength into Vincent's head. There was a sound like a thunderclap and then time sped up. Ichigo continued his flight, crashing into the ground and skidding to a halt. Vincent fell back-first to the ground and stopped moving.

Nevan threw Eri aside and ran over to Vincent. "Vincy! Are you okay?"

Eri stumbled and then tried to move as quickly as she could to Ichigo.

Vincent groaned and slowly got up onto his feet. "Using my own attack to fuel your punch…very clever…" With Nevan's help he got onto his feet. "But still…it's time for you to….die…" He passed out, and if not for her newfound demon strength Nevan would have dropped him.

Eri collapsed at Ichigo's side and shook him furiously. "Wake up stupid! The fight isn't done yet!"

"Yes it is." Nevan set Vincent down and flexed her claws. "I'll kill you and that mutt for hurting my dearest Vincy."

Eri's eyes widened and she shook Ichigo harder. "I said get your lazy ass up!"

Nevan slowly stalked in like a predator approaching its prey. And then with a snarl she dove.

Eri squeezed her eyes shut and shielded Ichigo's body with her own. ("Not like this…don't let me die like this…")

Nevan's claws were inches from her target…and then she stopped in mid-air.

Adriel pulled Nevan's tail with all of his strength and sent her flying in the opposite direction from her intended target. "That's enough!"

Nevan rebounded and landed on her feet. "Don't interfere in something that doesn't involve you!"

The half dragon demon's body shimmered with a light blue aura. "Oh but it does involve me. You're trying to get rid of my principle rival…and for that I'll kill you."

Nevan was about to attack…but stopped as a hand rested on her shoulder.

"That's enough Nevan." Vincent smirked at Adriel. "In my current state you might be able to defeat me. And honestly I'm bored. Farewell." He turned and walked off, with Nevan following him quickly.

"Hey…don't you want to chase them?" Adriel turned to look at Eri, and blinked in surprise as she wasn't even looking at the two retreating North School students.

"Ichigo…please get up…" Eri hugged the still half demon tightly. "Get up…"

_To be continued…_

To Justin: I might use the Horror deck and the attached character.

To omegadramon: Replica was the guy who copied Ryu in Dark Soul Arc.

To Rex: What exactly is out in the west? And using a Kuriboh deck would compromise Seeker's most interesting deck, which is of the same type.

To TheMysticWanderer: I remember Ani.

To Grisham: I could do so. It'll go into consideration.

To Aremen: I hope I answered your rhetorical question.

To Gryphinwyrm7: Oh yes, Richard will be returning during this arc.

To falcon demon general: Consider it brought.

To whitewolf: Sorry, can't do that to the son of Garlin.

To Hogwarts-Knight: Then consider them ridiculous.

To Esphelyon: I'll see if I can use it, but I'm not sure if it will see play.

To Raine Vindicare: They will all be seen soon.

To Dais: Oh they do.

To G.O.T. Nick: Then odd it shall be.

To Lance Murdock: Not much to respond to. Your observations were dead on.

To Bobbomp: I never make promises about putting characters in. If he fits somewhere then he fits.

To Anime Albino: Fat chance on that. Now she'll be worse.

To Void templar: Your answer is no. He cannot.

To Sinister: As you wish.

To Adriel: A void deck? Errr…..maybe….

To Seeker of the Soul: That theory isn't necessarily off.


	6. Warpath

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Rival School Arc

Chapter 6: Warpath

The Principal didn't turn in his chair as he heard the door to his office open slowly. "I'm glad that you have arrived. The plane to the meet will be leaving tommorow morning."

He'd heard about the fact that professor King had challenged professor Pilkington to a duel last night for the rights to decide which of the two of them the chaperone for the meet was. Though he didn't like it when professors battled, this was a dire situation indeed. ("North School has gone downhill ever since that man took over. There's little I can do though than make sure that our duelists win.") "I have a job for you. Let's make sure that you are ready for the meet tommorow."

* * *

Ichigo sighed and stared at the metal of his Duel Arm. ("That Vincent guy was like an animal…")

"What's your problem? You can duel now right?" Griff draped himself across his chair.

"It has nothing to do with dueling though…it's the fact that the Dark Halo, the so-called supreme power, was defeated by a demon." Ichigo growled and clenched his flesh and blood fist tightly. "That's scary, since this guy is a threat to Duelist Academy."

There came a knock from the door and Ichigo got up to get it.

"You know, I bet with a bit of training you could…" Krieger blinked in surprise as Ichigo opened the door and Eri was standing before them. It took him a couple of seconds to regain his breath…

She was wearing a strapped dress and had a oddly far-away look in her eyes.

Ichigo flushed red and knew that if he wanted to keep his eyes that he'd keep them on her eyes. "Hi Eri….how's the whole being human thing?"

The hair at the back of Griff's neck stood up on end. ("Something's up…")

"It's fine." Eri's voice sounded oddly breathless. "But that's not why I'm here…"

"Then why are you…" Ichigo's eyes widened as he was suddenly shoved back into the wall of the room. "What'd I…" His eyes widened even more so when Eri kissed him. And kissed him…and kissed him…

Krieger and Griff both had their eyes bulging out of their skulls. They'd assumed that the two had been close….but to see someone like Eri acting like that was beyond strange. Blushing, they both turned around and looked away.

Ichigo tried to squirm away, but she was pressed against him so tightly that such a thing wasn't an option. All he could do was make curious whimpering noises and flick his ears while she kept him lip-locked.

* * *

Kenshin was surprised enough when he received a call from the Principal. It was even more surprising that he had been asked to bring his deck to the Obelisk Blue arena. ("I'd prefer to try and sleep, but if it's the Principal asking me to come then who am I to argue.")

The moment he stepped into the pitch black inside of the arena he got the sense that something was wrong. ("What's going on…")

"Kenshin Anderson, what a pleasure to see that you showed up!" A calm voice called out from the darkness. "Take a look up."

Kenshin looked up to where a single spotlight was held over… "Ebony!"

The dark-skinned girl was dangling by a chain over the arena, her eyes closed.

"You bastard!" Kenshin charged into the room and was about to leap up to free her, but a sharp bang like a gunshot brought him to a stop.

"Not so fast…" The spotlight moved down to reveal a young man with a hunting rifle in his arms. He wore a black uniform and had a black cowboy hat on his head. His eyes were a strange green-yellow color, and his voice had a light southern drawl to it. "I'm Davis Jefferson. And if you want the girl back you'll have to duel me for her. By the way, if you try to reach her I'll step on a pressure plate behind me that will trigger a gun setup in the stands. And I hope you're smart enough to figure out where it would be aimed."

Kenshin growled and flexed his claws. "Fine…I'll duel you!" His disk slid into place.

Davis lifted his arm and his own disk activated. Setting the hunting rifle off to the side, he smirked. "I hope you're good."

Davis- 4000

Kenshin- 4000

Davis drew. "I start off with Virus Zombie in attack mode." The ground at his feet churned and a fresh corpse pulled itself out of the ground. It wore a normal set of human clothing, and it was covered in numerous wounds. Groaning loudly, its head tilted to the side. "When this monster is summoned I may special summon four more Virus Zombies from my deck and hand to the field. These monsters may not be sacrificed for any reason."

Kenshin's eyes widened as four more corpses rose up out of the ground. "But you're only allowed to have three of any card in your deck!"

"That's very true. But in this case I can five total of Virus Zombie in my deck." Davis smirked over the chorus of moans from his zombies. "That is just one of the unique powers of my deck. End turn."

Kenshin drew. "Your monsters are many…but they are also weak!" He grimaced at his hand. ("But I have no monsters capable of withstanding their attack points.") "I set a monster face-down on the field and two cards face-down. End turn."

Davis drew. "It's time for the nightmare to begin. By playing cards you have walked right into my trap. First I play the magic card Survival Horror. For every two Virus monsters I have in play you must discard a card from your hand."

Kenshin growled low and discarded two cards from his hand. "Is that your trap? Pitiful…"

"Who said that I was done?" Davis held up another card. "Next up is the magic card Swallowed by the Horde. If I have four or more Virus monsters in play I may destroy one to destroy a card on your field. So I send one of my Zombies to the graveyard to destroy your set monster!" One of the five monsters groaned as it was sucked back into the freshly churned earth.

Kenshin grabbed his set monster and flipped it up. "You just activated the effect of my Big Shield Gardna!" (100/2600) A man with a huge shield in front of him appeared on the field. "When this face-down card is targeted by a magic card it flips up and negates the magic card!"

Davis shrugged and slid another card into his disk. "Not a problem at all. I play Smashing Ground, which will destroy the highest defense monster on your field!" A fissure opened up in the ground and pulled the Big Shield Gardna out of sight. "Now take this, attack my Zombies!" The four undead monsters stumbled forwards and climbed all over the Crusader, their claws and teeth biting into his skin. "Then I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Davis- 4000

Kenshin- 400

* * *

Three minutes later Ichigo was left gasping for air as Eri finally stopped kissing him. ("Good lord….")

Krieger and Griff hadn't moved at all. They both just sat in the same spots, eyes still bugged out of their heads.

Eri purred deeply and bunched Ichigo's shirt in her hands. "I want you…now…"

"Whoa….hey…" Ichigo started to slowly inch away. "Err….calm down…"

"I said I want you, whether you want to or not." She grabbed him by the tail and started to drag him out through the front door.

Ichigo fell to his face and dug his claws into the carpet. "No means no!"

Eri wasn't listening. She just pulled him along the floor, his claws leaving furrows in the ground.

"GRIFF! KRIEGER!" Ichigo nearly screamed, his claws now dug into the door frame and only his face in few. "HELP!"

Both of his roommates were still staring at the spot where he had been against the wall. They had passed out.

"Someone help me!" Ichigo's face disappeared and his claws took a hunk of wood out of the doorframe as he was dragged out of sight.

* * *

Kenshin stumbled to his feet, groaning in pain. "It's my turn now…" He drew. "I play the magic card Banishing Light! This card can only be activated if I have no monsters in play. Now all dark attribute creatures will be destroyed!" A burst of light fell down around the four zombies and they all were instantly flash-fried.

Davis pointed at his set card. "Reverse card open! My Living Undeath quickplay magic card will return one of my destroyed zombies to the field in defense mode." One of the corpses appeared on the field. "And I also pick up the top card of my graveyard." He picked up another Virus Zombie and added it to his hand.

Kenshin slapped a card down onto his disk. "Go Silent Swordsman Level 3!" A child-like warrior appeared on his field. (1000/1000) "Attack the Zombie!" Making a little battle cry-like noise, the child hopped forwards and cut the zombie in half. "End turn."

Davis drew. "With only 400 life points I would think you'd be smarter than to play a monster in attack mode."

Kenshin smirked and brushed some dust off of his jacket. "Don't worry, I'll be just fine."

"We'll see about that." Davis opened his field magic card slot and slid a card into it. "First I activate the field magic card Skyscraper!" All around them huge buildings sprang up. "And then I discard one Virus monster from my hand to send Skyscraper to the graveyard and activate the field magic card Infected City!" The lights in all of the buildings shut off and a chilling silence fell around the arena.

Kenshin looked at his two set cards, sure that they would keep him safe for this turn.

Davis slapped a card down onto his disk. "If Infected City is in play I can special summon this monster from my hand to the field if I have no other monsters in play. Come out now, my mighty Virus Titan- Nemesis!" (2400/2000) The creature that formed onto his field was a hulking eight foot tall humanoid wearing a black body-coat. Other than that though, all human resemblances ended there. Its head looked more like a misshapen potato then a real human head. Its lipless face and single eye were the only things on it that were moving. The other side of its face was pinched together by metal staples. Throwing back its arms and head, the monster roared in a pure rage that could not be matched. "Nemesis, attack Silent Swordsman now!" The giant continued to roar as it bent at the knees and charged towards the child warrior. Its thick arm hit the Silent Swordsman in a clothesline and propelled it like a rocket towards its master.

"Reverse card open!" Kenshin threw up his arms to block as the Silent Swordsman slammed into him and blew apart against his body. "Knight's Oath lets me return one warrior monster that has been destroyed as a result of battle to the field. Also, all life point damage from the battle that killed it is negated!"

Davis frowned and Nemesis roared in rage as it was robbed of its kill. "End turn."

Kenshin drew. "During my standby phase Silent Swordsman Level 3 is sent to the graveyard and I may special summon Silent Swordsman Level 5 from my deck to the field! Come out now Level 5!" The warrior disappeared and was replaced by a much taller and stronger-looking version of itself. (2300/1700) "Then I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Davis drew. "Nemesis!" The viral giant roared and barreled across the field towards the Silent Swordsman.

"Trap card open!" Kenshin pointed at one of his set cards. "Holy Mirror negates one action while I have a light monster in play!" A giant mirror appeared on the field and released a blast of light that sent Nemesis skidding back to Davis' field.

Davis frowned. "End turn."

Kenshin drew. "From my hand I play Card of Sanctity! Now we both draw until we are holding six cards in our hand!" He drew six cards while Davis drew four. "Next my Pot of Greed magic card to draw two!" After adding two cards to his hand he threw a card onto his disk. "Go Lightning Knight!" (1900/1700) A warrior in armor that was crackling with electricity appeared in play. "Also I play the equipment magic card Pure Soul! This card raises the attack of a knight on my field by 1000 points!" (2900/1700) "Lightning Blast!" Electricity arched from the sword of the knight and blew Nemesis apart. "When Lightning Knight destroys a monster on the field it deals the level stars of the monster times 100 points in damage to your life points!" Lightning arched towards Davis and slammed into his body.

Davis- 2900

Kenshin- 400

"Silent Swordsman Level 5, direct attack!" The warrior leapt forwards and slashed its sword across Davis' chest. "And when Silent Swordsman level 5 attacks your life points directly I can send it to the graveyard at the end phase of that turn to special summon Silent Swordsman Level 7!" The swordsman shimmered and grew taller, looking like a true warrior now. (2800/1000) "While this monster is in play all magic cards are negated." (2900- 1900/1700) "End turn."

Davis- 600

Kenshin- 400

Davis drew. "I summon Virus Hound in attack mode." A sickly zombie dog appeared on his field. (1000/300) "Now I discard a card from my hand to special summon the other two Virus Hounds in my deck to the field!" A howl rang out from the city as two more dogs emerged from an alleyway to join their brethren. "Now I order one of my Hounds to attack Lightning Knight!"

Kenshin's eyes widened. "Idiot! My monster has 900 more attack points than yours!"

"Actually, my Virus Hound has a special ability. When in battle with a warrior type monster it gains 1000 attack points." (2000/300) The dog leapt forwards and tore the knight's throat out. "I set one card face-down and end my turn, since I can't use magic cards."

Davis- 600

Kenshin- 300

Kenshin drew. "Silent Swordsman! Attack a Virus Hound and finish him off!" The warrior nodded and hefted its sword.

"Actually…" Davis pointed at his set card. "Go Covering Fire! This trap takes the attack of one monster on my field and adds it to the attack of another one that is being attacked." (2000/300) "And then the effect of my Hound raises its attack by 1000 points." (3000/300) Snarling, the hound leapt over the sword swing of the Silent Swordsman and tackled it. Its brothers leapt in and they tore the warrior apart.

Davis- 600

Kenshin- 100

Kenshin paled and looked at his hand. ("I have only one card in my hand capable of protecting me from those dogs.") "I set a monster in defense mode and a card face-down. End turn."

Davis drew. "Now that I can play magic cards I can activate my Pot of Greed." He drew twice and added the cards to his hand. "Because of their effect I cannot sacrifice any of my Virus Hounds to bring out something else, but that doesn't matter. Go Hounds!" All three of the dogs leapt forwards and tackled the set card, only to get repelled by a elf warrior in a crouching position.

"You attacked my Retrained Celtic Guardian. When you attack it with a monster that has 1900 or more attack points it isn't destroyed." Kenshin's monster narrowed its eyes at all three of the undead dogs.

Davis slid a card into his disk. "I set a card down then and end my turn."

Kenshin drew. ("This is the card I needed.") "Go Gearfried the Iron Knight!" (1800/1600) A iron-covered knight appeared on his field. "Then I activate the magic card Release Restraints!" The armor of Gearfried shattered and left a huge black-haired warrior on the field. "Gearfried the Swordmaster!" (2600/2200) "Now Gearfried, attack a Virus Hound and end this duel!"

"Not so fast!" Davis pointed at his set card and it flipped up. "I activate Virus Horde. As long as this continuous trap is in play all Virus monsters gain 200 attack points for every Virus monster in play!" (1600/300X3) "And then the effect of the hound that you are attacking gives it an attack boost!" (2600/300) The attacked Virus Hound snarled and leapt, tackling Gearfried. Both monsters blew apart. (1400/300X2)

Kenshin looked at the two remaining cards in his hand sadly and sighed. "End turn."

"That's what I though you'd say. Draw." Davis drew a card and smirked when he saw its face. "This is the perfect draw for this situation. It's a continuous magic card called Virus Vaccine, and I'm activating it now!" He slammed the card into his disk. "As long as this card is in play whenever one of my Virus monsters is destroyed I take no damage in battle. Also, I'll gain 500 life points when that happens."

Kenshin growled deeper and clenched his fist. "I'll save Ebony…I will!"

"Keep telling yourself that. For now I play the magic card Ryoku! This card cuts the attack of one monster on the field in half and transfer those attack points for this turn to another monster!" Energy flowed between his two Virus Hounds. (2100/300) (700/300) "Now my weakened Virus Hound will attack your Guardian!" (1700/300) Howling, the monster leapt forwards and tackled the elf. A few seconds later there was a crunch noise and then some wet slurping noises as the dog feasted on its prey.

Kenshin's eyes widened. ("Oh no…")

Davis pointed at the Crusader. "This is the end! Virus Hound number two goes for the kill!" Snarling, the undead dog charged past its partner and sailed towards Kenshin with jaws open.

_To be continued…_

Author's Notes: Still accepting submissions if you got them. Please review.

To Rex: I have no idea. They might or they might not.

To Raine Vindicare: That Midas is a funny character, isn't he?

To Adriel: Yeah…but I'm still not sure about it.

To Sinister: Out of all my chapters from all of my arcs?

To wolfy: You still frighten me very much. Just to let you know.

To Dais: I choose not to answer your rhetorical question.

To Seeker of the Soul: Again I cannot tell you why that is.

To Esphelyon: Can do.

To falcon demon general: The wait for the next chapter is over.

To Star AJT: Which would make him a student of the school. Sorry, but that's how logic works. He'd either be in or out.

To omegadramon: Both of your ideas have been noted.

To Aremen: Nope, they were defeated. Dead? No. Defeated? Most certainly yes.

To G.O.T. Nick: It's Garlin's kid though….is that a bad thing?


	7. Warpath part 2

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Rival School Arc

Chapter 7: Warpath part 2

"You're a great girl and all…but don't you think this is a little too quick?"

"No."

Ichigo's claws dug deeper into the dirt, though that didn't seem to slow Eri very much as she dragged him down the trail away from his dorm. "I'll cry rape!"

"Go ahead." Eri held onto his tail like a steel vice, not slowed in the least by his resistance, even though she was human.

Anime tears streamed down his face. "Someone please help me!"

* * *

_Davis pointed at the Crusader. "This is the end! Virus Hound number two goes for the kill!" Snarling, the undead dog charged past its partner and sailed towards Kenshin with jaws open._

Crusader tapped a button on his disk. "Reverse card open! Go Holding the Ranks!" A burly axe-wielding knight appeared on the field in a crouching position right in front of him. The Virus Hound slammed into it and tore the warrior apart. "This quickplay magic card lets me special summon one level four warrior from my hand to the field during a turn that another warrior is destroyed."

Davis grimaced as his two Hounds continued to slurp up the corpses of the fallen warriors. "End turn."

Kenshin breathed a weak sigh of relief as the corpses faded away and dogs returned to their master's field. ("I saved myself…but I won't be able to do that again. If this next card isn't something that can save me then I'm done.") He drew. "I play Swords of Revealing Light!" Green glowing swords made of light slammed down onto the field. "Now you will be unable to attack for three turns. I also summon Dark Blade (1800/1500) in defense mode. End turn." A black-armored warrior appeared on his field in a crouching position.

Davis drew. "All I can do is set one card face-down then. End turn."

Kenshin drew. And his eyes widened. "This is your end! I switch Dark Blade into attack mode!" The warrior stood up and drew up its two swords.

"Virus Hounds gain 1000 attack points when battling warrior monsters. What will that loser do to them?" Davis smirked, knowing that with his Virus Vaccine card in play he was protected regardless of what happened.

"What happens if your monsters face a creature they cannot defeat in battle?" Kenshin's graveyard spat out two cards. "I remove Gearfried the Swordmaster and Axe-Wielding Knight from my graveyard to special summon Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning!" (3000/2500) A majestic blue-armored emerged onto the field from a glowing portal in the sky.

"Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning?" Davis stumbled back in surprise.

"That's right! My ultimate warrior, the Envoy of the Beginning!" Kenshin pointed at the first Hound. "Black Luster Soldier attack! Blade of Creation!" Silently, the warrior glided across the field and slashed the dog in half. (2400/300)

Davis growled and pointed at his set card. "Go Virus Infection! This trap card works whenever a monster destroys a Virus monster in battle! Half of the attack of the monster is deducted from your monster!" The Black Luster Soldier stumbled and fell to one knee, sweat dripping down its forehead. (1800/2500)

Kenshin frowned. "End turn."

Davis- 1100

Kenshin- 100

Davis drew. "I set one monster on the field in face-down defense mode and end my turn."

Kenshin drew. "My Soldier may be unable to attack but that doesn't leave it out yet! I switch it into defense mode." The warrior held its shield in front of it. "I use its effect to remove the Virus Hound from play!" The undead dog shimmered out of existence. "And then I attack the set card with Dark Blade!" The warrior leapt forwards and slashed the set card in half. The revealed monster looked like some kind of humanoid frog. It howled in pain and blew apart. "End turn."

Davis- 1600

Kenshin- 100

Davis drew. "It's time to destroy you. I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Kenshin drew. "You're finished. I set one card face-down and switch Black Luster Soldier into attack mode." The warrior stood up. "And then I give it an equipment magic card called Excalibur!" The Envoy's sword was replaced by a thin glowing blade. "This card will double its attack points, but I cannot draw during my draw phase unless I want to discard this card." (3600/2500)

Davis remained emotionless. "Come and try your luck then."

"Dark Blade, attack his life points directly!" Kenshin pointed at his opponent and the warrior charged.

Davis pointed at his set card. "Activate Disturbed Graveyard! This trap card can only activate if I have no monsters in play. Also, Infected City must be in play. I discard one card from my hand and revive as many Virus Zombies from my graveyard as I can!" The earth in front of him shuddered and exploded as five corpses rose up out of the ground. (900/450X5) "And Virus Horde activates now! The attack of all Virus monsters in play is increased by 200 for every Virus monster in play!" (1900/450X5)

Dark Blade skidded to a halt and the Black Luster Soldier flew past it, slashing two of the zombies down. (1500/450X3)

Davis- 2600

Kenshin- 100

Then Dark Blade leapt forwards and slashed down another Zombie. (1300/450X2)

Davis- 3100

Kenshin- 100

Gritting his teeth, Kenshin watched his two warriors eyes the undead monsters appraisingly. "End turn."

Davis drew. "I set a monster face-down on the field and end my turn."

Kenshin drew and Excalibur exploded into dust. (1800/2500) "I set one card face-down and attack the two Zombies with Black Luster Soldier!" The legendary warrior cut down both monsters with one slash. "Go Dark Blade!" The dark-armored warrior cut through the set monster, revealing another of the humanoid frogs. "End turn."

Davis- 4600

Kenshin- 100

Davis looked down at his graveyard…and smirked. "And the stage is set. Draw!" He snapped the top card off of his deck and added it to his hand. "Now it's time for you to fall. From my hand I activate the magic card Monster Reborn! Return Virus Titan-Nemesis!" (2600/2000) The misshapen giant appeared on the field and roared in pure rage.

Kenshin wiped a drop of sweat away from his head. ("Damn it…")

Davis smirked. "You think that you're in trouble now? I have news for you…" He slid a card into his disk. "Your problems are just beginning! Activate magic card!" Nemesis' roar turned into a gurgling scream. It fell to its knees and started to grow, muscle tissue swelling and body warping into a huge four-legged beast. "Virus Mutation allows me to sacrifice one Virus Titan to special summon its higher level form from my deck or hand to the field! So pay your respects to Final Titan-Damascus!" (3000/3000) The new monster roared in pure rage and sprayed a blast of acid across the field towards the Black Luster Soldier.

"Reveal Kunai with Chain!" Kenshin's face-down card disappeared and Dark Blade now was holding a metal boomerang attached to a chain. "This trap card equips to one monster on my field and raises its attack by 500! Also, one monster on the field switches into defense mode!" The chain wrapped around the new monster and forced it to stop in mid-attack.

Davis smirked. "End turn."

* * *

"I swear I'll go Dark Halo!"

"Please do…I like that you better."

Ichigo kept his arms wrapped around the tree in front of him as tightly as possible. He wouldn't dare activate the Dark Halo, because he knew that while he was like that he was much more violent than normal. ("She's not herself, but I can't hurt her for it.") "Why are you acting like this?"

Eri pulled harder on his tail, trying to remove him from the tree. "What does it matter? Don't you like me?"

"That's beside the point!" Ichigo held on tighter to the tree. "This isn't right! We're both underage and you're not even yourself at the moment!"

Eri let go of his tail and smiled slightly, that glaze still to her eyes. "Fine, you want to play rough? This is just a good of a place as any other." One of the straps of her dress slid down her arm…

"GAH!" Ichigo squeezed his eyes shut. "Stop it!" Ichigo knew that if he let go of the tree that she would grab his tail again and drag him off. ("I need an answer…I need an answer….that's it!") He felt her lips press against the back of his neck. ("Must…concentrate….")

"You're mine now…"

* * *

Kenshin drew. "I'd stop smiling if I were you! Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning's special ability will remove your monster from play!" The legendary warrior's sword began to glow.

"Final Titan-Damascus has a special ability too. It is unaffected from monster effects and magic cards." Davis snickered as his monster didn't even notice the energies of the Envoy.

Kenshin gulped and set a monster face-down on his disk. "I set a monster face-down and switch both of my other monsters into defense mode." Both Black Luster Soldier and Dark Blade fell to one knee. "End turn."

Davis drew. ("He most likely has another trap card face-down on the field.") "First I switch Damascus into attack mode!" The monster roared and stretched, instantly shattering the chains that held it in place. "Then I play Mystical Space Typhoon on your center card!" A blast of wind shattered the set card and he pointed at the Black Luster Soldier. "Go Damascus!" The beast spat a glob of acid that hit the warrior and blew it apart. "End turn."

Kenshin drew. "I set one monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Davis drew. "So that was it? Your best shot was that Envoy hmm? You'll never be a match for North School if that is the best you can do. Damascus, attack Dark Blade!" The monster sprayed another blast of acid that dissolved the warrior into a puddle of black slime. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Kenshin drew. ("Still nothing.") "End turn."

Davis drew. "I summon Virus Weapon-Licker!" (1700/1200) A monkey-like monster appeared on his field. Its flesh was turned inside out, slick red muscle tissue seen. Even its brain could be seen through the reverse flesh. Snarling, it opened its peg-like teeth and ticked its claws against the pavement of the Infected City. "Damascus!" The titan roared and sprayed one of the two set cards with acid, melting it instantly. "And Licker!" The smaller monster screeched and front-flipped onto the set card, its long claws piercing the monster and blowing it apart. "End turn."

Kenshin snapped the top card off of his deck. "Ebony's life depends on my winning. So there's no way I'm losing to your freaks of nature! I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Davis drew. "I switch Damascus into defense mode and attack with Licker!" The inside-out monster screamed and front-flipped towards the Crusader. "You're finished!"

"Reveal Mirror Force!" A blue barrier sprang up in front of Kenshin and blasted the Licker into pieces.

Davis smirked. "I knew it. End turn."

("That's why he switched Damascus into defense mode.") Kenshin drew. "I'm not done yet! I activate The Warrior Returning Alive!" He caught a card that was spat out of his graveyard slot. "This magic card lets me return one lost warrior type warrior monster from my graveyard to my hand. Then I remove Dark Blade and Silent Swordsman Level 7 to special summon Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning!" (3000/2500) The legendary warrior reappeared on the field. "That means that Damascus is finished."

Davis rolled his eyes. "Did you forget that my monster is immune to the effect of your Soldier? And its attack score is equal to my monster's defense score."

Kenshin slid the last card in his hand into his disk. "Let me correct that. Activate Ultimate Slash! This card only works when I have a level seven or higher warrior monster in play. Its attack with increase by 1000 points and it will attack all monsters on your field! Go Soldier!" (4000/2500) The warrior slashed its sword through the Titan and blew it apart.

Davis recovered from his surprise immediately. "Reveal Gravehole of Revival! This trap triggers when you destroy a monster on mine as a result of battle. Now we both special summon a monster from our graveyard to the field in defense mode! I revive Virus Titan-Nemesis!" The misshapen monster appeared on the field in a crouching position.

Kenshin removed a card from his graveyard and threw it onto his disk. "Then I revive Retrained Celtic Guardian!" (1400/1200) The elf warrior from before appeared on the field in a crouching position. "Soldier, attack again!" The legendary warrior leapt forwards and slashed the Titan apart. "End turn."

Davis- 5100

Kenshin- 100

Davis drew. "This is far from done. I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Kenshin drew. "Now's my only chance! Go Soldier!"

Davis pointed at his set card. "You're in trouble now. Activate the continuous trap card Genetic Overtake. This card only works if there is a monster in play that has been affected by Virus Infection. That monster is removed from the game and as long as this card is in play I get a Virus monster token with half of its attack!" The Black Soldier fell dead to the ground. Then it slowly stirred and stood up, stumbling over to Davis' field. (1500/0)

Kenshin paled. "I…I….set a card and end turn."

Davis drew. "This duel is over. I summon Neo-Virus LVL 4 (2200/1500) in attack mode." A vaguely human creature appeared on his field. It was covered all over in bulging tumors and strange warps. One of its arms was a huge claw. The tatters of a lab coat were hanging around its huge chest. "Go now and attack the Retrained Celtic Guardian my Virus Soldier!" Groaning, the zombie stumbled across the field and fell upon the elf warrior. The Celtic Guardian cried out in pain and then its cries were silenced, the only sound left in the air was that of hungry slurping. "Finally, you're finished. Neo-Virus, direct attack!" The warped humanoid growled and tore a hunk of steel pipe out of a nearby wall. Then it turned to glare at Kenshin.

"I'm not so easily beaten! Reveal face-down card!" Kenshin's face-down card flipped up. "Dust Tornado will destroy one magic or trap card on your field!" A blast of wind shattered the Virus Overtake card and blew it apart. The Black Luster Soldier faded away. "Then I reveal my continuous trap card! Go Respect for a Worthy Foe! This card activates when a monster on your field is destroyed by a card effect. No monsters may conduct battle during this turn!"

Davis growled and took a card from his hand. He slid it into his disk and pointed at Neo-Virus. "Fine, then let's get ready for your inevitable attack. Activate Neo-Virus Warp. This card lets me sacrifice a level up monster on my field to special summon the next level of its progression!" The Neo-Virus dropped its pipe and howled in pain. It grew nearly double in size, all remnants of humanity now gone. Its head was now bullet-shaped, with a two beady red eyes and a single circular hole for a mouth. Both of its arms were now bulging with muscles, and one of its shoulders opened to reveal an eye-like tumor that glanced around crazily before closing again.

Kenshin looked disgusted at this new monstrosity. "How can you use such creatures?"

"It's easy really." Davis pointed at his new monster. "This is Neo-Virus LVL 5 (2500/1400) and with it I play this magic card from my hand. It's called Neo Spawn." The Neo-Virus roared and an ugly little crab-like creature crawled off of its back. "During each turn Neo-Virus will now create a Spawn Token (300/500) in defense mode. End turn."

Kenshin drew. ("I need a method to keep myself alive until the answer to beating this guy becomes available to me.") Looking at the drawn card, he smirked. "I summon Annihilation Knight!" (1700/1500) A red-armored warrior holding a crossbow in one hand appeared on the field. "Whenever a monster is summoned to the field that has 500 or less attack points while this card is in play then that monster will be immediately destroyed. End turn."

Davis drew. "Now you…" His eyes widened as one of the new Spawn Token that climbed off of his Neo-Virus' back was pin cushioned by the Annihilation Knight. "So that's your game. Now your Respect for a Worthy Foe trap card prevents me from attacking for this turn. Fine then, end turn."

Kenshin drew. "You're locked out of attacking as long as your monster remains in play. End turn."

Davis drew, and sure enough the Annihilation Knight shot apart the next Spawn Token, forcing him to not attack this turn. ("You just keep thinking that you are safe. Next turn you'll see the truth about Neo-Virus.") "End turn."

Kenshin drew. "Annihilation Knight, attack the Spawn Token now!" The warrior pierced the crab to the floor with a single shot of its weapon. "Also, I play the magic card Dian Keto the Cure Master." Green light flowed around him. "This card raises my life points by 1000. End turn."

Davis- 5100

Kenshin- 1100

Davis drew slowly, a dark smile on his face. "Your lock time is up. During the third standby phase from when my LVL 5 is in play I send it to the graveyard to special summon Neo-Virus LVL 7!" (3000/1000) The hulking monster fell to its knees and made a symphony of cracking noises as its bones readjusted. It went from being bipedal to quadruped, and its teeth exploded out of its body, turning into an opening and closing maw of spear-sized teeth that was aimed towards Kenshin. "Behold your end!" The Neo-Virus reared up on its haunches and roared, the sound shaking the arena.

_To be continued…_

To Seeker of the Soul: Oh yes, Eri is definitely confused right now.

To Sinister: That's the third one that's run today.

To Raine Vindicare: Hormones play a role in this. Very much else does too.

To Star AJT: Fine.

To Bobbomp: He's not lucky if he doesn't want it. Consider how Rikuo will act if she succeeded and he found out.

To Anime Albino: Naw, something is amiss.

To Dais: You'll find out, but not in this chapter.

To Adriel: I'll keep in touch.

To Aremen: Does he still not seem all that tough to you?

To Rex: You are the closest to the truth about Eri so far.

To Esyphelon: I didn't come up with the concept of the Duelist Academy. It is the property of those who own Yugioh GX. As for the why? It's because we can't forget that Kaiba hates Yugi. He hates Osiris because it has to do with Yugi. And Ra he is impartial to.

To falcon demon general: Thank you.

To G.O.T. Nick: Eri is changing a lot. Think about all of the things that have happened to her over this school year so far.

To Hogwarts-Knight: No, he's related to Garlin. If you remember World Tour Arc then you'll remember how Garlin isn't Sestros. They're similar…but not the same.

To wolfy:

Yes

Your funny is considered scary by me. Let me put it like this…you attempt to blow up my major villains on a regular basis.

No. He…cannot….die.

Sure. What do you need help with?


	8. Warpath part 3

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Rival School Arc

Chapter 8: Warpath Part 3

Hitokage Seijitsu had gone out for a walk. Tommorow was the day of the meet against North School, and while he wasn't nervous he was worried that if he wasn't awake something might go wrong.

"Damn you, stubborn bastard! Change back!"

"Not a chance!"

The blond-haired boy stopped in his tracks and snuck over to nearby grove of trees where he had heard the voices.

Eri growled and shook Ichigo furiously. "You will be mine! Before this night is done I will have what I want from you!"

Ichigo, her golden hair framing her face, growled back. "Do what you want with me, but know that I won't give you what you want without a fight!"

Eri snarled deeply and kissed the half demon firmly.

Hitokage turned around and shrugged. "All things considered…that makes perfect sense. Eri would be interested in other girls." He walked off without another thought to what he had just seen.

* * *

_Kenshin drew. "Annihilation Knight, attack the Spawn Token now!" The warrior pierced the crab to the floor with a single shot of its weapon. "Also, I play the magic card Dian Keto the Cure Master." Green light flowed around him. "This card raises my life points by 1000. End turn."_

_Davis- 5100_

_Kenshin- 1100_

_Davis drew slowly, a dark smile on his face. "Your lock time is up. During the third standby phase from when my LVL 5 is in play I send it to the graveyard to special summon Neo-Virus LVL 7!" (3000/1000) The hulking monster fell to its knees and made a symphony of cracking noises as its bones readjusted. It went from being bipedal to quadruped, and its teeth exploded out of its body, turning into an opening and closing maw of spear-sized teeth that was aimed towards Kenshin. "Behold your end!" The Neo-Virus reared up on its haunches and roared, the sound shaking the arena._

Kenshin gulped as the huge creature's right front forepaw shuddered. The eye-like tumor opened and turned to look at his Annihilation Knight. Then as a whole the monster growled and charged forwards, impaling the Knight with its spear-like teeth. Blood rained down the teeth and into its mouth, where it left out rumbling noises of happiness as it drank in the blood the warrior. Then a few seconds later its teeth folded and forced the body into its mouth, where it tore the Knight apart and ate it.

Davis- 5100

Kenshin- 1100

The Crusader turned a bright shade of green as pieces of his monster landed on the ground at his feet. ("Oh man…")

Davis frowned. "How are your life points unaffected?"

"Annihilation Knight, when destroyed, negates all battle damage to me for this turn." Kenshin clenched his fists. ("How do I kill that damned virus?")

Davis sighed and slid a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Kenshin drew. "I play the magic card Knight Militia! This magic card lets me special summon five Militia Tokens (0/500) to the field!" Five men in ragged armor appeared on the field in a crouching position. "End turn."

Davis drew. "I summon Virus Weapon-Venus!" (1100/1800) A huge plant exploded out the ground. From the way its body was shaped it looked like it could actually move if it wanted to. "Now I attack two of your Militia Tokens with my monsters!" Howling, the Neo-Virus tackled one of the Militia and tore the warrior in half, spraying blood across the field. The plant snapped a tentacle out and pierced the chest of one of the Militia. "And then I activate the effect of Neo-Virus LVL 7! I discard the top two cards of my deck to the graveyard to let my monster attack again!" The monster tackled another of the Militia and ate it whole. "And now the end comes for you. When Neo-Virus LVL 7 destroys two monsters on my opponent's field during the same turn, I may send it to the graveyard and special summon the final form of this monster!"

The dog-like monster howled and made a strange hissing noise. It stumbled and then fell to the ground, looking like it was dead. Its body started to melt into a huge puddle of disgusting purple fluids.

Kenshin clutched his sensitive nose. It smelled like chlorine. "Oh god…"

The blob made a wheezing noise and swelled in size, growing huge. Its spear-covered mouth opened and closed rapidly, and it threw out numerous tentacles along the ground that slowly pulled it along the ground towards Kenshin. "Say hello the Neo-Virus LVL 9 (3200/3000) in attack mode. End turn."

Kenshin was crying from the horrible smell that was coming from the monster. ("That's disturbing…") He drew and his eyes widened. "I activate the magic card Preparation for Battle! This card sends all cards on my field and lets me draw cards for each card send to the graveyard!" His two Militia Tokens and his continuous trap card disappeared. He snapped three cards off of his disk and added them to his hand, eyes wide. ("This is it…the only chance for me to win this duel!") "I summon Hane Kuriboh (300/200) in defense mode!" A little Kuriboh with angel wings appeared on his field and chirped at him. "And then I set one card face-down on the field. End turn."

Davis drew. "Your deck is running out of options. So let's finish this now. I summon Virus Crow!" (1200/100) A red-eyes crow appeared on his field. "When this monster I may special summon the other two copies of it from my deck and hand to the field!" Two more undead crows appeared on the field. "When these monsters deal you life point damage you must discard the top two cards of your deck! Now it's time to finish you off. By discarding one card from my hand I can use the effect of Neo-Virus LVL 9! Now one monster will be destroyed!" The blob hissed and launched its tentacles towards the little winged Kuriboh. "It's over."

Kenshin narrowed his eyes. "It's never over! I discard two cards from my hand! Go Wings of Evolution!" His face-down card flipped up and the little Kuriboh disappeared in a flash of light. The approaching tentacles were blown away as huge feathery wings extended out in both directions away from the ball of light.

Davis stepped back and glared at the energy. "What is that thing?"

"Wings of Evolution will only work with Hane Kuriboh! By discarding two cards I have sent Hane Kuriboh to the graveyard and brought its greatest form!" The light faded to reveal a Kuriboh with a golden helmet on its head. "Hane Kuriboh Level Ten!" (?)

"Level Ten?" Davis growled and pointed at it. "Neo-Virus attacks!"

"There's no point! Hane Kuriboh Level Ten special ability activates! By sending this monster to the graveyard I can destroy all attack mode monsters on your field and deal their attack in damage to your life points!" The Kuriboh chirped once more and released a blast of light that blew all five of Davis' monsters into dust. "That's brings your life points to zero."

Davis- 100

Kenshin- 1100

Davis gritted his teeth and pointed at his set card. "Activate Repair Chamber! This trap card activates when a monster on my field is destroyed because of a card effect." A glass canister appeared on the field. "Now one Virus monster will be revived from my graveyard. During this turn it cannot attack." A shadowed form appeared within the liquid of the chamber.

Kenshin frowned. "Why do you still have life points?"

"Because I used the effect of Virus Vaccine. By sending it to the graveyard when my life points would be zero I have increased them to 100." Davis snapped his fingers. "End turn."

Kenshin clenched his fists and drew. "I am not finished! I set Gearfried the Iron Knight (1800/1600) in defense mode and end my turn." A black-armored knight appeared on his field in a crouching position. "End turn."

Davis drew. "Awaken Virus Titan-Nemesis!" (2600/2000) The chamber blew apart and the misshapen giant from before stomped out. "Attack Gearfried now!" It roared and tackled the knight, instantly destroying it. "End turn."

Kenshin drew. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Davis drew. "I set one card face-down and attack your life points with Nemesis!" The giant roared again and charged.

"Reveal Legendary Armor!" Kenshin's face-down card flipped up. "This trap card transforms into a monster when activated! Come out now, Legendary Knight!" (1000/1000) A suit of silver armor appeared on the field in a crouching position. "During the turn activated all attacks are negated." Nemesis skidded to a stop and turned to walk back to Davis' field.

Davis smirked and slid a card into his disk. "Activate Rocket Launcher! This equipment magic card can only be equipped to Nemesis!" A huge metal rocket launcher appeared attached to the arm of the monster. "This card's special ability allows me to destroy up to two defense mode monsters before it is destroyed! Fire!" Lifting its arm, Nemesis blew the Legendary Knight away. "End turn."

Kenshin shuddered at the dark glare of Nemesis. ("I'm nearly out of tricks…nearly…") He looked down at his deck. ("One last strategy.") He drew. ("This card…") The new card in his hand pulsed with energy. ("The Seal of Life?")

"What's the hold-up? Make your move."

Kenshin held up the drawn card. "I activate Life of a Loved One! This card lets me draw one card for every warrior in my removed from play pile!" He snapped five cards off of his deck. "At the end of this turn I must send all cards in my field and hand to the graveyard."

Davis gritted his teeth. ("Lovely…")

Kenshin looked at the drawn cards…and smiled. "I activate the ritual magic card Dragon Anointment!" He discarded another card from his hand. "I offer one level four monster from my hand to special summon…" A warrior wearing golden armor that was made to look like a dragon appeared on the field. It lifted its extra long pike and met the eyes of Nemesis. "Master Dragoon!" (1800/1500)

"Davis clenched his fists tighter. "What's that going to do?"

Kenshin slapped another card onto his disk. "Come out now, Storm Knight!" A blast of wind swept across the field as a green-armored knight wielding a bow appeared in play. (1600/1000) "When this card is summoned I may draw one card." He slid a card off of his deck. "The final piece of the puzzle…."

Davis paled.

"From my hand I activate Polymerization!" The two monsters were pulled into a swirling vortex of energy. "My mighty Storm Dragoon!" The new warrior looked just like the Master Dragoon except that it was green. (2200/1400) "Its special ability will destroy all magic and trap cards in play!" A blast of wind tore across the field and shattered the Rocket Launcher, Virus Hordes and the set card.

Davis paled as the remains of the Rocket Launcher exploded, taking Nemesis. "How did you…"

"Just a hunch really. When Rocket Launcher is destroyed is destroys the equipped monster." Kenshin smirked. "The duel is over."

Davis slapped a card onto his disk. "When Nemesis is destroyed by a magic or trap effect for the first time it returns to the field with half attack points!" A badly burnt and damage version of Nemesis appeared on the field in a crouching position. (1200/2000)

Kenshin held up another card. "Equipment magic card Dragon Spear! This card can only be equipped to a monster that has Dragoon in its title!" A spear fell from the heavens and landed in the hands of the warrior. "Super Jump Attack!" The warrior leapt into the air so high that it disappeared. "End turn." Kenshin slid his hand into the graveyard.

Davis slowly drew. "Where…."

Kenshin pointed up.

Davis looked up just in time to see the approaching fist of the warrior.

Davis- 0

Kenshin- 1100

"When I activate Dragon Spear a Dragoon removes itself from play for a turn. During the standby phase of the next turn it returns to the field and deals half of its attack in damage to your life points." Kenshin pointed at his fallen opponent. "Now let Ebony go."

"No problem." Davis stood up and brushed himself off. "You're very good indeed. But once again, you don't know the power of North School."

"You keep talking about your school like it is the best in the world. Come tommorow we'll beat every duelist you put against us."

"My school?" Davis snapped his fingers. "Oh right!" Turning, he yelled out into the dark arena stands. "You can turn on the lights now."

Light flooded the arena to show the Principal sitting near the front with a smile on his face. He began to clap enthusiastically. "That was very impressive Kenshin!"

The Crusader face-fell.

Ebony, from her spot above the arena, started to giggle helplessly. "My true knight in shining armor."

Kenshin leapt up and glared at the Principal. "What's this all about?"

Davis chuckled. "Now I'm sure you remember that the Principal picks the eighth member of the Duelist Academy team, right?"

Kenshin face-fell again. "You're him? Then….then…."

Davis tipped his hat. "Fooled you, didn't we?"

_To be continued…_

To Dragonlords: There were over a million. Rikuo culled the number to one. There is only one Sestros left…but he is immortal.

To The Obsessive Man: Sorry, but no genetic switches going on here.

To Shadow: Because I like this anime a lot.

To Bobbomp: No comment

To Anime Albino: Rikuo has a secret stash of alcohol?

To Raine Vindicare: I think Ichigo figured out to stop her from getting her way.

To Seeker of the Soul: Ding ding ding, we have a winner!

To Sinister: Nah, it'll never get that graphic.

To G.O.T. Nick: Why's he getting annoying?

To generic reviewer: I'm not sure that'll work.

To Aremen: As you can see, he did.

To Rex: You are always competing. Never forget that, my puppet…..mwhahahahahaha!

To wolfy: A warrior deck like Kenshin's? Well half of his cards are made up though. I can tell you this though. Here's the base balance for cards in your deck. 17 monsters, 16 magic cards, and 7 traps. Out of the monsters, only two or three should be tributes. If you want more in depth advice then I need your current decklist.

To Lance Murdock: Bah! Davis is no dog. He was just following the Principal's orders.

To Dais: Davis' deck isn't a virus deck. It's a Resident Evil deck. You heard me.


	9. Let the madness begin

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Rival School Arc

Chapter 9: Let the madness begin

"Ladies and gentlemen, as you can see to our left there is a beautiful view of the mountains of Japan." Daniel grinned back to the passenger cabin of the small plane. When he realized that no one was listening, he returned to his seat up front with the pilot.

* * *

"So what happened last night anyway?" Griff shook Ichigo a couple of times, and got a pillow in the face for it. 

"I had to dodge Eri all night. So let me freaking sleep." The half demon closed his eyes and started snoring.

Krieger wasn't listening to either of them. He was busy pouring over his deck. His father had sent him a new trio of Horus versions, which were apparently the 'new' way of the playing his favorite card. So now he had to make sure that his deck was up to par.

* * *

"So what was with you last night Eri?" Hitokage honestly didn't care all that much, but since there was nothing to do on this flight he might as well ask. 

"Shut up." The ex-demoness looked out the window to her side.

* * *

Kenshin glared at Davis. "Do you have to sit next to me?" 

Readjusting his new Ra Yellow uniform, the boy smiled. "You're still sore about the duel last night? Why? You won after all."

* * *

In the back of the plane, Adriel sat in silent meditation. ("I will surpass you…Pilkington…and I will surpass this new threat…")

* * *

The Principal of North School felt the wind blow through his hair as he looked out over the island that would be hosting their meet. ("This place holds memories that I am sure you will find disturbing….Pilkington.") He knew who would be bringing the Duelist Academy students to him. ("And thanks to you…my goals will be closer to completion.") 

"Principal, the Extraordinary Eight have arrived."

"That will be fine. They know what to do."

* * *

"This….this…." Daniel looked around the area where the plane had landed in. "It's….the Asylum…" 

"The where?" Everyone said at once.

Memories flickered through Daniel's mind. This place was exactly as he remembered it…and that wasn't a good thing. There was still a grey haze that held over the landscape like a cloud of death. "N…never mind you guys. Let's just get going."

* * *

Minutes later they were walking through the beginning town that everyone who had entered the Shadow Tournament had started in. 

Daniel felt on the edge now….until he saw a place that held not quite so fearsome memories for him. "That house…"

The building he was referring to looked any normal house, except that it was surrounded by a powerful-looking Plexiglas.

The half wolf demon walked over to the door, memories as clear as ever playing out in his head.

_The Leader of the group, a guy with raven black hair and wearing a pair of thick sunglasses, chuckled. "Well, how about my team has a duel against your team? The winners get the house."_

_Amy stepped forward from around the other side of the house. "Hold on a minute, I'm the manager of this team and we need to get the ground rules down for the duel." She ignored Daniel's cough that was meant to try and get her attention._

_The man removed his sunglasses and flashed a winning smile. "Sure lady. Does a two on two duel sound fine to you?"_

_Amy tapped her chin thoughtfully and then nodded. "Team Topdeck agrees to your demands." A trio of coughs from Deondre, Daniel and CJ went ignored._

As Daniel trailed his hands along the plaster of the building, he noticed something as his hand brushed past the knob. There was a clipboard attached to it. Picking it up, he held it up and blinked in surprise. "A roster?"

"Yeah…the Principal wanted me to make sure that you got it," a tired voice said.

Daniel's ears perked and he glanced behind him. "Errr…hello there. Who are you?"

The boy standing behind him was wearing a simple black shirt and pants, which matched with his black hair and grey eyes. All in all he looked rather plain, and his eyes seemed stuck in a tired state of nearly closing. Yawning, he stretched and then lifted his arm to reveal a duel disk. "My name's Hector. I'm here to challenge the duelist called Krieger Reinhardt."

Krieger gulped. "I'm first?"

"You'll do fine buddy." Ichigo patted his roommate on the back.

"Of course!" Griff patted the other side of Krieger's back.

Taking a deep breath, Krieger shuffled his deck and walked to a better position across from Hector. "Let's do this."

Hector yawned again. "Oh…alright then…"

Hector- 4000

Krieger- 4000

Krieger drew first. "I'll begin with UFO Turtle (1400/1200) in defense mode!" A turtle with a metal body shaped like a flying saucer appeared on the field. "End turn!" ("And when you destroy this monster you'll be in for a surprise.")

Hector yawned again and drew. "I summon Rescue Cat (300/100) in attack mode." A little white kitten with a rescuer's hat on appeared on the field and meowed cutely.

"Rescue…Cat?" Krieger's eyes started to twitch.

* * *

Griff, despite the fact that Krieger was his friend, couldn't stop himself. "Does anyone else see the resemblance?" 

Adriel snickered…while the rest of the members of the group remained silent.

* * *

Hector pointed at the little cat. "I activate the effect of Rescue Cat. By sending it to the graveyard I can special summon two level three or lower beast type monsters from my deck to the field." The little kitten blew into a whistle around its neck and disappeared. The black-haired boy removed two cards from his deck and placed them down. "I summon Ojama Black and Ojama Green in defense mode." A green one-eyed little monster wearing a Speedo and a black huge-nosed creature wearing the same attire appeared on the field. (0/1000X2) 

"Ojama?" Krieger blinked a few times at the two creatures.

* * *

"Ojama…" Eri snickered. "Appropriate name. Because that is all those kind of creatures are. No attack points, and minimal defense. How this guy got onto the eight who are supposed to face us is beyond me." 

Daniel rubbed his chin. He wasn't so quick to judge. ("There was a card…some kind of magic card that harnessed the power of the Ojama monsters.")

* * *

Hector slid three cards into his disk lazily. "I set three cards face-down and play Card of Sanctity. Now we both draw until we are holding six cards in our hands." He drew five cards, while Krieger only drew one. "End turn. And at the end phase of my turn my all monsters summoned through the effect of Rescue Cat are destroyed." The two Ojamas made high-pitched screaming noises and blew apart. 

Krieger drew. ("He's left himself wide open.") "I switch UFO Turtle into attack mode and summon The Thing in the Crater (1000/1200) to the field in attack mode!" A monster made of pure lava appeared on his field. "Go my monsters, direct attack!" Both monsters launched forwards and slammed into Hector, who crashed to his back. "Then I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Hector- 1600

Krieger- 4000

Hector stood up and brushed himself off. "Ow…that hurt."

"That…was the point." Krieger sighed. "Do you have to be so relaxed about this?"

"Of course. I've got nothing to fear from you." Hector drew. "Let me show you. You've played right into my plans. Reveal face-down Pot of Greed."

"What?" Krieger paled. "You waited to activate Pot of Greed? Why?"

Hector drew two cards. "You'll see. Now I reveal my face-down Dark Factory of Mass Production magic card. This card lets me pick up two normal monsters from my graveyard and add them to my hand." He held up the Ojama Black and Green from before and added them to his hand, giving him eleven cards in his hand total. "Now I play the magic card Polymerization." He held up three cards from his hand. "I fuse together Ojama Black, Green and Yellow together to summon out Ojama King." (0/3000) A huge white Ojama with wearing a crown appeared on the field. "When this card is summoned I may destroy three monster spaces in play." The three open monster spaces on Krieger's disk hummed and darkened, indicating that they couldn't be used. "Next I summon Ojama Green in defense mode." A new single-eyed green little monster appeared on his field. "Along with three face-down cards. End turn."

Krieger frowned and drew. "All you're doing is stalling with these useless monsters. Since I can't summon anything I attack Ojama Green with UFO Turtle!" The metal turtle launched forwards and bit the little screaming monster in half. "End turn."

"At the end phase of your turn I activate the continuous trap card Human-Wave Tactics. This trap card activates whenever a normal monster of level two or lower is destroyed as a result of battle. I may at the end phase of that turn special summon another level two or lower normal monster from my deck the field to replace. And I reveal another Human-Wave Tactics." Picking up two cards from his deck, Hector placed them down. "So I summon Ojama Black and Yellow in defense mode." The third Ojama was yellow with eyes attached to stalks in the same attire as the other Ojamas. "And now my turn begins." He drew.

* * *

Daniel's narrowed deeper, while everyone around him was either laughing at the silly Ojamas or snickering at how frustrated Krieger was getting. ("Something about the way his deck is set up…")

* * *

After looking at his drawn card, Hector slid it into his disk. "I activate De-Fusion, breaking Ojama King back into his original pieces." The white Ojama blew apart into the Black, Yellow and Green Ojamas. Now he had five Ojamas on his field. "This is nearly your end. Now I activate the magic card Ojama Floor Show. At the end phase of this turn I will discard my hand and draw cards equal to the number of Ojamas in play." 

Krieger growled and shook the gathering rage. "Are you out of your mind? What kind of stupid strategy is this?"

"Reveal The Law of the Normal." Hector smiled lazily. "This magic card can only activate if I have five level two or lower normal monsters on my field. Now all cards on both of our fields and hands except for the five normal monsters on my field are sent to the graveyard." There was a bright flash of light and when it was gone there was nothing left in the game but the five Ojama monsters. "End turn." Hector drew five cards.

* * *

Everyone had gone silent now. 

"The whole field…" Ichigo started.

"Sent to the graveyard…" Eri continued.

"Interesting…" Hitokage rubbed at his chin along with Daniel.

* * *

Krieger drew. "You thought to keep me down? No way." He smiled. "I summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level 4!" (1600/1000) A metal bird-like dragon the size of a card appeared on his field and screeched. "Partner, attack one of the Ojamas now!" 

Horus closed its eyes. _("As you wish partner.")_ Its eyes snapped open and it sprayed one of the screeching creatures with fire, burning it away.

"During the turn that Horus destroys a monster as a result of battle I may send it to the graveyard during the end phase to special summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level 6!" (2300/1600) Horus disappeared in a flash of dark fire and emerged the size of a double-decker bus. "End turn."

Hector drew. "Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level 6 is immune to magic cards. I have the answer to that right here. First I activate the equipment magic card Sword of Lost Souls." A dark-bladed sword fell to the ground in front of the Ojama Black. "This card lets me sacrifice normal monsters on my field to raise the equipped monster's attack points by 1000 apiece." The blade came alive and slashed through the other three Ojamas. Then it picked up the Ojama Black with its energy and hurled itself at Horus, slashing through the Black Flame Dragon and destroying it instantly. (3000/1000)

Hector- 1600

Krieger- 3300

Krieger stared at the spot where Horus had been. ("This is…impossible…")

Hector slid a card into his disk. "Now I activate the magic card Ojama Super Retreat. This card requires I discard my hand. As long as two of the discarded cards are Ojama monsters I shuffle my hand into my deck and draw five new cards. However, my turn ends immediately." Hector did so, now having all of his Ojama monsters back in his deck to use again.

Krieger looked down at his deck, hearing the faint call of Horus from his graveyard. ("I know you're still with me partner. But this guy…he's so…") He drew. "I play Pot of Greed." He drew two cards. "From my hand I play Claws of the Graveyard! This card will destroy one card in play!" The Sword shattered. (0/1000) "Then I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Hector drew. "I switch Ojama Black into defense mode. Then I summon another Rescue Cat and use its effect to special summon Ojama Yellow and Green to the field." Now he had one of each of the Ojamas in play. "Also, I set a card face-down and end my turn." Ojama Green and Yellow screamed and exploded.

Krieger drew. "I set one card face-down and flip up Call of the Haunted! This trap card will revive one monster from my graveyard! Return Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level 6!" The silver dragon appeared on the field and screeched. "Attack Ojama Black now!"

Hector pointed at his set card. "I activate Order to Smash! This trap card lets me sacrifice a level two or lower normal monster to destroy two magic or trap cards in play!" Both Call of the Haunted and Krieger's set card blew apart. Letting out a weak cry of pain Horus disappeared.

Krieger trembled and fell to his knees. "End turn…"

Hector drew. "First I activate the magic card Dark Factory of Mass Production." He held up Ojama Green and Yellow from his graveyard, adding both cards to his hand. "Now it's time for you to lose. I play the magic card Field Force. This magic card lets me summon all level two or lower normal monsters in my hand to the field." Ojama Black, Green and Yellow appeared on the field, striking stupid-looking poses as spotlights shown down on them. "Now I set one card face-down and activate Card of Sanctity once more." They both drew six cards.

Krieger looked at his hand and smiled. "Now you're finished."

"I'm not done yet." Hector slid a card into his disk. "Activate Future's Destroyer. During this turn if a card effect would destroy all cards in play it can instead discard all cards from your hand." He pointed at this set card. "Now I activate Ojama Delta Hurricane!"

"Ojama Delta Hurricane?" Everyone exclaimed.

"That's right. This magic card activates when I have Ojama Green, Black and Yellow on the field. Now all cards on your field would be destroyed. Instead though, I'll use Future's Destroyer to discard your whole hand." The three Ojamas struck their poses again and a blast of energy launched across the field to blow all six cards out of Krieger's hand. "Now I discard three cards from my hand to special summon Ojama Final Blaster!" (0/0) A red Ojama wearing a director's hat appeared on the field. "For every Ojama in my graveyard during my next standby phase you will lose 1000 life points."

"But you only have one in your graveyard!" Krieger clenched his fist. ("I can still win…")

"Oh really?" Hector held up the last card in his hand. "I use Polymerization to fuse the three Ojamas into Ojama King!" (0/3000) The huge white Ojama appeared on the field. "Also, Ojama Final Blaster cannot be attacked as long as I have other monsters in play. Since I have four Ojamas in my graveyard, you've lost. End turn."

Krieger slammed his fists into the ground. ("I'm done….aren't I?")

_("Partner…believe in our bond.")_

("Horus?")

_("Please…believe…")_

Krieger looked up at the Ojamas. "I'll show you…just what I can do!" He drew. "It's time to finish this for real! I play the magic card Firestorm of Heaven! This magic card requires that I have Horus in the graveyard! Return now!" A pillar of fire shot out of his disk and arched up into the air. The fire formed into Horus, who screeched into the air and then looked down at the Ojama King.

Hector shrugged. "That's not enough."

"We'll see about that! Firestorm of Heaven activate now! Its second effect allows me to activate one magic card from my graveyard!" There was a flash of light from within his graveyard. "And I activate one of the cards you made me discard with Ojama Delta Hurricane! Go Fire Wing Flash!"

"Fire Wing Flash?" Hector stared up in awe as both of Horus' wings lit up with black flame. "What does it do?"

Krieger pointed at the Ojama King. "Horus, attack now! Black Fire Charge!" Horus turned into a glowing fireball of black flame and slammed into the Ojama King right before blowing apart.

Hector- 1600

Krieger- 2600

As sparkles of light fell down around them, Hector smirked. "Your plan failed."

"Actually…" Krieger pointed at the Ojama King, which was shuddering. "Fire Wing Flash can only activate when Horus is on the field. During this turn after Horus battles with a monster it is destroyed regardless of the result. However, after damage calculation and its destruction Horus brings the destroyed monster with him to the graveyard….and its defense is dealt to you in damage." Ojama King exploded into flames, which washed over Hector.

Hector- 0

Krieger- 2600

"Alright Krieger!" Ichigo nearly tackled his roommate. "You did great buddy!"

"Alright!" Griff joined in.

Kenshin smiled and walked past Hector, who was staring at the ground. "Let's be on our way. We have to find the rest of the North School duelists."

Daniel followed, his mind still full of memories.

_To be continued…_

To wolfy: No, Rikuo does not have a secret stash of alcohol. He prefers to keep his sense about him. As for response three….I have no idea what you tried to say.

To Seeker of the Soul: Meh, even Rikuo wouldn't hurt the Principal. He might throw stuff at him, but no real injuries would be sustained.

To Star: He may be. Not sure if I want to use him or not.

To Raine: Nope, they will be announced as I get to them.

To Bobbomp: Err….okay.

To Anime Albino: --; No, he doesn't.

To Lance Murdock: Expect to see Davis in action again soon.

To Rex: No orders at all. Keep reading I guess.

To Darkstar: Glad you enjoyed your break.

To Hogwarts-Knight: No, he's one of the Duelist Academy top eight.

To Adriel: Kenshin isn't that volatile though.

To The Obsessive Zero Fan: No comment

To Void Templar: I see you're a reviewer for me now. Welcome to the reviewer family.

To Just a Dude: You are the fiftieth to tell me that. I know, I know! But it also can means other stuff too.

To Mario: Perhaps I did, perhaps I didn't.


	10. Something worth fighting for

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Rival School Arc

Chapter 10: Something worth fighting for

They walked just fifty feet away from the safe house when Daniel held up his arm to signal everyone to stop.

"What's the hold…" Griff went silent as someone started to walk out of the mist towards them.

_The figure became more and more prominent until he finally got a good look at his new adversary. It was a boy about his age with shoulder length and quite literally golden hair and silver eyes. He was wearing a black and silver bodysuit that resembled Daniel's costume, except unlike Daniel this one labeled him as a member of the Shadow Corporation._

Daniel shook his head out. ("This is the same spot where Rikuo dueled Ryu before…")

The approaching form was definitely female. As the girl stepped into view, she flipped a piece of her medium-length brown hair back and smiled. From the color of the uniform she was wearing, it was easy to tell that she was from North School. "So which one of you is Griff Mohistava."

"That would be me." Griff stepped forward and turned on his duel disk. "And who are you?"

"My name is Sheena Margoulis." Smirking, the girl's disk activated. "Now, prepare yourself for strength that I bet you cannot defeat."

Sheena- 4000

Griff- 4000

Griff snapped six cards off of his deck. "We'll see about that. I summon Don Zaloog in defense mode!" The white-haired king of thieves appeared on the field, struck a pose, and then fell into a crouching position. "I'll also play the continuous magic card Lucky Streak. Whenever a Dark Scorpion monster or Don Zaloog is attacked, I flip a coin. If it lands on heads then the attack is negated. End turn."

Sheena drew, eyeing Don Zaloog disdainfully. "Pitiful…a male." She placed a card face-down on her disk. "I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"Who are you calling pitiful?" Griff drew. "I summon A Man with Wdjat (1600/1600) in attack mode." A purple-robed man appeared on his field. "I'll also switch Don Zaloog into attack mode!" The thief king stood up and drew his daggers. "Now Man with Wdjat attacks your set monster!" Lifting its hand, the man released a ball of energy that slammed into the set card harmlessly. "What?"

Sheena smirked as her monster revealed itself. It was a woman wearing regal robes and holding a glowing whip. "Control Temptress (300/2000) blocks your attack."

Sheena- 4000

Griff- 3600

Griff frowned. "I have to end my turn then."

Sheena drew. "Your deck is full of easy to control monsters."

"Easy to control?" Griff and Don both snickered at that. "Yeah right…"

"You don't believe me?" The girl held up a card. "First I use Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Lucky Streak card." A blast of wind shattered the continuous magic card. "Then I summon Divine Sentinel." A woman in black armor appeared on the field. (1400/1300) "Attack Don Zaloog now." The warrior woman leapt forwards, as did the Don. Both collided midfield and blew apart. "Now I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Griff drew. "I'll make you pay for that. I set one monster in defense mode and switch A Man with Wdjat into defense mode." The spellcaster fell to its knees. "End turn."

Sheena drew. "First I reveal my set card. It's a trap card called Pillar of Revival." A beam of light hit her field. "I must discard one light attribute monster card from my hand to bring back a monster from my graveyard." She discarded a card and her Divine Sentinel appeared on the field. "When Divine Sentinel is brought to the field from the graveyard I draw one card." She slid the top card off of her deck and added it to her hand. "Now I'll set a card face-down and end my turn."

Griff drew. ("She returned her monster and left it in attack mode. That was her last mistake.") He pointed at his set monster and it flipped up. "I flip summon Dark Scorpion Guard!" (1000/1900) A heavy-set man in the clothing of the Dark Scorpion thieves appeared on the field. "When this monster is flip summoned I may select one Dark Scorpion or Don Zaloog in my graveyard and add it to my hand." He held up Don Zaloog and placed it into his hand.

"So you got back a monster. That's not a good play." Sheena narrowed her eyes disdainfully at Griff.

"Who says I'm done? I sacrifice Dark Scorpion Guard to summon Dark Scorpion-Gorg the Strong!" (1800/1500) The guard disappeared and was replaced by the huge member hammer-wielding member of the Dark Scorpions. "Gorg, attack Divine Sentinel now!" Nodding, the silent warrior charged.

Sheena pointed at her set card. "I activate the trap card Mirror of Goddess!" A huge silver mirror flew up in between the two monsters. Gorg slammed his hammer into his own reflection and blew apart. "This trap works when you target a female monster on my field with an attack. The attacking monster is destroyed."

Griff slid a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Sheena drew. "This will be the end for you. I activate the continuous magic card Temptation Zone." The Control Temptress stood up and motioned with her hands to the Mad with Wdjat. He stood up and tripped over himself to reach her, where she started to give him a back-rub.

Griff face-fell. "What was that?"

"While Temptation Zone is in play I equip one Control Temptress on my field to remove one male monster on your field from play." Sheena smirked while her Temptress continued to give The Man with Wdjat a back-rub. "Now I attack you directly with Divine Sentinel!" The warrior cracked her knuckles and charged towards the dark-skinned boy.

"Not so fast!" Griff pointed at his set card and it flipped up. "I reveal Graverobber! This trap card lets me take one card from your graveyard and use it for myself! So I'll take Pillar of Revival and activate it by discarding Sage Owl!" (300/500) There was a flash of light and Gorg appeared on his field.

The Divine Sentinel skidded to a stop and returned to Sheena's field. "I switch Divine Sentinel into defense, and then I set a monster face-down. End turn."

Griff drew. "I summon Dark Scorpion Spearman!" (1500/1000) A man wearing the garb of the Dark Scorpions and holding a spear appeared on the field. "This monster has the power to deal damage through defense. Go Spearman!" The warrior charged forwards and pierced its weapon through the Sentinel, blowing it apart.

Sheena- 3800

Griff- 3600

Griff pointed at the set monster. "Go Gorg the Strong, attack!" The hulking warrior lifted his hammer…and then snapped it around to strike the Spearman in the face and blow him apart.

Sheena- 3800

Griff- 3300

Sheena smirked and pointed at her now face-up monster, which was a scantily clad woman holding a whip. "Seductress (800/700) has redirected the attack of your male monster to another monster on the field. And because Gorg did the attack under my orders his special ability triggers for me." Gorg shimmered away. "So on top of your deck he goes."

Griff snarled and slid two cards into his disk. "I set one card face-down and activate Mirage of Nightmare. End turn."

Sheena frowned at the sight of the continuous magic card. ("Mirage of Nightmare lets him draw until he has four cards in his hand during my standby phase.") She drew.

Griff drew three cards and then pointed at his set card. "I reveal Emergency Provisions! This quickplay magic card will send my Mirage of Nightmare to the graveyard and raise my life points by 1000!" The continuous magic card disappeared.

Sheena- 3800

Griff- 4300

Sheena looked at her drawn card and slid it into her disk. "I set a card face-down and end my turn."

Griff drew. "I summon Warrior Dai Grepher (1700/1600) in attack mode!" A warrior holding a two-handed sword appeared on the field. "Attack Seductress now!" He leapt forwards, only to turn and slash through a little furball that suddenly appeared on Sheena's field. "What?"

Sheena pointed at her now face-up set card. "Defense Goats is a quickplay magic card that special summons two Goat Tokens to the field." (0/0) "These monsters must be attacked before you can attack my female monsters."

Griff slid a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Sheena drew. "First I play the magic card Premature Burial. At the cost of 800 life points I may return one monster from my graveyard to the field in attack mode." The form of her Divine Sentinel appeared in play. "And when Divine Sentinel is special summoned from the graveyard I draw a card." After sliding the top card off of her deck, she smiled. "I sacrifice Seductress to summon Amazoness of Light!" (2100/1850) A woman with long blond hair and blue eyes appeared in play. She was covered from neck to toe with pink and silver armor. "Amazoness, attack Dai Grepher now!"

"Reveal Mirage Magic!" Griff pointed at his set card and his warrior turned shades of grey. The Amazoness' sword slammed into his side, but it did no damage. "This card negates one attack and gives me life points instead."

Sheena- 3000

Griff- 6400

Sheena growled and slid a card into her disk. "I place a card face-down and end my turn."

Griff breathed a quiet sigh of relief and drew. "I summon Don Zaloog!" The king of thieves appeared on his field. "Now Don, attack the last goat!" Snickering, the thief leapt forward and slashed the goat apart. "Now go Warrior Dai Grepher! Attack Divine Sentinel now!"

"Reveal Maiden's Retreat!" Sheena pointed at her set card and the Divine Sentinel disappeared. "This trap card will send my monster back into my hand and let me special summon one female monster from my hand to the field." She placed the Divine Sentinel back into her hand and placed her other card. "Go Kuriboh Girl!" (300/200) A little pink furball wearing a red ribbon on its head appeared on the field. It squeaked and Dai Grepher dropped his sword and hugged, little hearts in his eyes.

Griff face-fell. "What are you doing? Kill it!"

"How can you be so heartless?" Sheena pointed at Warrior Dai Grepher. "When Kuriboh Girl is attacked by a male monster she equips to it and removes it from play."

Griff sucked air into his mouth through clenched teeth. "End turn!"

Sheena drew. "I discard Light Maiden (0/100) from my hand along with one card from my hand to special summon one monster from my graveyard. My target is Divine Sentinel." The black-armored female warrior reappeared on the field in a standing position. "So now I draw one card." She pulled the top card off of her deck, and smiled. "And now I sacrifice my two monsters to summon Leina; Spirit of the Flute!" (2550/2200)

A woman with purple hair wearing a pink dress appeared on the field. "When this monster is summoned I activate her effect! Melody of Shifting!" From out of nowhere Leina produced a flute and played into it. "When this card is activated, I switch one monster into defense mode. For the rest of this game that monster cannot attack or be in attack mode, even if it dies and returns." Don Zaloog shuddered and fell to one knee. "Now Leina, attack Don Zaloog now! Doom Melody!"

"Wait!" Griff discarded a card from his hand into his graveyard. "I activate the effect of Dark Scorpion Emblem! (100/100) This monster card negates all attacks against one Dark Scorpion during the turn I discard it from my hand!"

Sheena nodded slightly. "Then take your turn, knowing that your key card cannot fight."

Griff drew. "I play the magic card Bandit's Gambit. This magic card requires that I have two cards or more in my hand to activate. Now I show you my hand." He held out his two cards to reveal Gorg and Guardian Sphinx. "Now I shuffle my hand and you select one card. If you guess what the card is, then I discard my hand and the top ten cards of my deck. If you're wrong then I shuffle my hand into my deck and draw four cards." He held up the two cards. "So guess."

Sheena pointed at the left card. "It's that Dark Scorpion."

Griff smirked and held up the Guardian Sphinx. "Wrong." He shuffled his hand into his deck and drew four cards. "Go Dark Scorpion-Chick the Yellow!" (1000/1000) A yellow spiky-haired kid holding a hammer appeared on his field and struck a pose. "Now I play the equipment magic card Chick's Crushing Mallet!" The hammer in Chick's hands doubled in size. "His attack now rises by 1000!" (2000/1000) "Go Chick, attack Divine Sentinel now!"

Sheena pointed at Temptation Zone. "I activate the effect of Temptation Zone! By sacrificing a female monster on my field I may once per turn special summon a female from my graveyard!" The Divine Sentinel exploded into dust and then appeared on her field in a crouching position right before Chick's Mallet crashed down onto it. "And because it was special summoned from the graveyard, I draw one card."

Griff slid his other two cards into his disk. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Sheena drew. "First Pot of Greed lets me draw two cards." She now was holding three total. "Now I summon Flame Assailant." A brown-skinned woman holding a very short little knife appeared on her field. (1500/1000) "Now I attack Chick with Leina! Doom Melody!" Lifting the flute to her lips, the woman released a blast of energy from the instrument's opening towards the Dark Scorpion.

Chick yelped and held up the mallet, which absorbed the attack and blew back into its normal size. (1000/1000)

Griff paled. "When Chick would be destroyed because of battle the Mallet is destroyed instead and all battle damage is zero."

Sheena pointed at Chick and smirked. "But now his attack power is gone! Go Flame Assailant!" The woman threw her little knife, which slammed into Chick and blew him apart. "End turn."

Sheena- 3000

Griff- 5900

Griff drew. "Activate Mystical Space Typhoon!" One of his two face-down cards flipped up.

"So you plan to destroy one of my cards?" Sheena frowned.

Griff pointed at his other set card. "Nope." The other set card exploded in a blast of wind. "Trapped Greed activate now! This card, when destroyed while face-down, lets me draw two cards." He slid two cards off of his deck and added them to his hand. "Now I sacrifice Don…"

Sheena waved a finger in the air. "The monster affected by Melody of Shifting may now be sacrificed."

Griff growled and placed a different onto his disk. "I summon Dark Scorpion Cleric!" (800/800) An Egyptian man appeared on the field in a crouching position. "Now I activate its effect. By discarding one card from my hand I can pick up one Dark Scorpion from the graveyard." He held up Chick and added the card to his hand. "Now I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Sheena drew. "You're nearly out of time. I summon Witch of the Black Forest (1100/1200) in attack mode." A woman in dark robes appeared on her field. "Now I attack your Cleric with her!"

"Reveal Magic-Arm Shield!" Griff pointed at his set card, which flipped up and shot out a pair of extending arms to grab Leina and bring her over to his field. "This trap card forces your monster to attack this target!" Leina lifted the flute to her lips and played a short song, blowing the Witch away.

Sheena- 1600

Griff- 5900

Sheena held up a card from her deck. "I use the effect of my Witch to pick up Rogue Doll." (1600/1000) "Now Flame Assailant attacks Cleric!" The woman threw another knife that pierced the heart of the man and blew him apart. "End turn." Leina returned to her field.

Griff drew. "I activate Unearthing the Treasure. This card lets me draw one card from my deck for every monster in my removed from play pile, however I'll lose 1000 life points per drawn card." He drew twice and his life point counter dropped to 3900.

"This is it…here I go! I play the magic card World Crisis. You see, even though the Dark Scorpions are thieves they are also heroes, and when the world needs heroes they will be there. At the cost of half of my life points I may special summon as many of the Dark Scorpions as I can from my deck to the field, as long as Don Zaloog is in play!" He slapped down three cards, and then slapped down a fourth from his hand. "Presenting…"

Sheena- 1600

Griff- 1450

The first to appear was a man wearing a pair of glasses and holding a dagger in each hand. "Cliff the Trap Remover!" (1200/1000)

The second was the burly form that Sheena knew fairly well. "Dark Scorpion-Gorg the Strong!" (1800/1500)

The third was a woman holding a whip calmly at her side. "Dark Scorpion-Meanae the Thorn!" (1000/1800)

And the final was the yellow spiky-haired kid from before. "Dark Scorpion-Chick the Yellow!" (1000/1000)

The five thieves struck a group pose as they were named off, and then all at once they changed poses once more. "The Dark Scorpion Burglars!"

Sheena started to giggle helplessly. "How stupid are you…"

Griff slid a card into his disk. "As much as I would like Gorg to smack that Flame Assailant down, I can't because World Crisis prevents me from attacking during this turn. So I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Sheena drew. "You're finished! I summon Rogue Doll in attack mode!" (1600/1000) An animated female doll appeared on the field. "Now I attack!"

"Reveal Dark Scorpion Defense Formation!" Griff pointed at his set card and an explosion of smoke filled the field. "This card can only work when all five of the Dark Scorpion Burglars are in play. Your attack is considered negated, your battle phase ends, and I draw three cards."

Sheena hissed in anger. "I play the magic card Focus Attack. Now your monsters must attack Leina before they attack any monster on my field as long as it remains in play. End turn."

Griff's eyes widened at that declaration. ("Oh no…") He looked at his drawn cards. ("These are all good…but not enough…")

_("Loser.")_

Griff paled, taking a deep breath. ("Terra….")

_("Yes it's me you idiot. Now listen closely. I have lived for a long time, and I know of many thieves…")_

("Why are you talking about this now?")

_("Silence human! If you're going to be a demon as long as we're together, then you had best learn of your 'roots'. Long ago, there was a wolf demon thief who traveled across the world looking for the secrets of the greatest thieves in history. He visited locations all across the planet in his search. And while he learned much, he never found out what he wanted to know. He still didn't how to be the best. There was nowhere left for him to go as well.")_

("How could he have searched the whole world and not found what he was searching for. Wouldn't that mean that it never had existed?")

_("No. It did exist. After his travels, the wolf demon returned to his homeland a broken being. He had failed. As he wallowed in his failure, the world he knew was brought to the brink of destruction because of the warring Demon Lords.")_

Griff, while listening, slowly drew the top card of his deck. He looked at it and turned pale. The card wouldn't be able to do anything for his situation. Yet…his attention was mainly on Terra.

_("There was a woman, as there always tends to be. It was his mother. She was very ill, and the only method to heal her was in the claws of a particularly evil Torture Demon. This demon was guarded with such heavy magical and mundane security that it would be impossible for even the best skilled thieves to get the prize.")_

("Then…")

_("He tried anyway, and while there were many close calls, the demon succeeded. It was because he found the true secret to being the greatest thief in the world. Do you know what that thing is?")_

Memories of Sammy flashed in Griff's mind. ("Something worth fighting for…")

_("Something worth fighting for…")_ Terra's voice within Griff's head grew silent, leaving only one message hanging in the mental air. _("There is always a way.")_

Griff looked down at his hand…and smiled slightly. "I've got it!"

Sheena blinked. "What?"

Griff slid a card into his disk. "I activate the equipment magic card Gorg's Destructive Club!" A stone club appeared in the Dark Scorpion's hands. "This card raises the attack of Gorg by 500 points!" (2300/1500)

"It's not enough! Leina has 2550!" Sheena smirked. "This win is for North School."

"Something worth fighting for." Griff said calmly. "Gorg the Strong, attack Leina now!" Gorg bellowed and charged, weapon held up high.

"So you're sending your monster to his death?" Sheena shrugged and Leina readied her flute. "As you wish. Doom Melody!" Leina blew into her flute and a ball of energy appeared, shooting towards Gorg.

Griff slammed a card into his disk. "Go Dark Scorpion Team Formation!" The card that appeared on his field had the picture of the five Dark Scorpion Burglars bringing their weapons down onto a huge demon. "This quickplay magic card will only work if all Dark Scorpions are in play! Now I can switch out Gorg for a different Dark Scorpion!"

Don Zaloog gasped as he watched the ball hurtle towards Gorg. Staining, he fought against the magic that held him in defense and threw himself into the way of the attack. There was an explosion and he was hurled backwards, where he bounced to a halt right at the feet of his aghast comrades.

Sheena- 1600

Griff- 300

Gorg came to a stop….and slowly turned to look at the feebly coughing Don Zaloog. He slowly walked over back to the field and stood along Cliff and Chick. Meanae cradled Don's head in her lap, tears dripping down her face.

Sheena stared at the scene in front of her, eyes wide. "What's….all this mean?"

Griff, stone-faced, slid another card from his hand into his disk. "I activate the quickplay magic card Fall of the Don." The picture on the card image that appeared looked much like the scene before them. "This card activates when Don Zaloog is destroyed as a result of battle." As if on cue, Don Zaloog faded into dust.

Meanae cried for a few moments, and then stood up slowly. She glared at Leina, as did Gorg, Chick and Cliff. All four of them lifted their weapons and charged, yelling battle cries as they charged towards the spirit.

"So they're charging to their deaths hmm?" Sheena shrugged and pointed at Gorg. "Leina, finish the job." The spirit lifted the flute to her lips.

Griff slid the last card in his hand into his disk. "Fall of the Don allows me to play a magic card from my hand immediately before its second effect resolves! Go Monster Reborn!" He slid the card into his graveyard.

Sheena narrowed her eyes when no monster appeared on the field. "So where's the revived monster?"

"It was negated." Griff pointed at his quickplay magic card, which was still on the field. "Fall of the Don gives me a chance to revive Don Zaloog. If I can, it negates that revival and lets me special summon…" A shadowed form appeared in the way of the charging Dark Scorpions. They all skidded to a halt and stared at the new entrant.

Don Zaloog smirked to his friends and then turned to look at Leina with his one good eye. He lifted his hand and pointed at her. Then he casually gave her a thumbs-down.

Griff smirked along with the Don. "Fall of the Don's final special ability lets me special summon this!" He pointed at the new Don. "Don Zaloog-Resurrected Hero!" (2000/1500)

"Only 2000 attack points, that's not enough for me to care." Sheena was about to laugh, but Griff beat her to the punch.

Gorg threw his club to Don Zaloog, who caught it and casually spun the heavy weapon around a few times. It then shuddered and exploded into dust.

Griff pulled a card out of his deck. "Don Zaloog-Resurrected Hero's special ability activates now! I sacrifice one magic or trap card on the field to take one equipment magic card from my deck and attach it to Don!"

Don Zaloog held up a pair of curved scimitars, both of which were so ornate they looked too precious to be weapons. "Bandit's Scimitars raise the attack strength of the equipped warrior by 700 points! Also, when that monster attacks trap cards cannot be activated!" (2700/1500)

Sheena stepped back, her eyes wide. "That means…"

"Don Zaloog, attack Leina now!" The thief king leapt forward and slashed the spirit apart. "Gorg the Strong, attack Rogue Doll now!" The hulking warrior slammed his normal hammer down and blew the doll apart. "Now the effect of Gorg sends Flame Assailant to the top of your deck!" The woman disappeared. "It's done! Go Cliff, Chick and Meanae!" The remaining Dark Scorpions leapt into the air and slammed their weapons down onto Sheena's body.

Sheena- 0

Griff- 300

Griff nodded to his five friends…and then smiled. He walked back to the group and gave a thumbs-up. "Let's keep moving."

From within Griff's head, Terra smirked. _("Perhaps you're worthy of being my host after all.")_

_To be continued…._

Author's Notes: Okay, does everyone find my descriptions for Davis' monsters that disturbing? If so, I'll lay off the gore.

To Hogwarts-Knight: Errr…sorry I went overboard?

To Rex: It's not an easy deck to run. I had to make up finisher cards for the deck to even have that option.

To Wolfy: Oooookay. First off, Eri was simply having trouble coping with the whole having human emotions thing. She's better now. As for her deck, it is just packed with undead, fiends and spellcasters of the dark type.

To The Obsessive Zero Fan: Ojamas kick ass? I've made the deck…and the problem was the lack of kicking ass that they did.

To falcon demon general: Let's hope that ceasing never happens.

To Mario: Err…that was his only duel. It's only one duel per student.

To Adriel: It's a single exclamation mark. And silence. I don't like to piss off my word processor with random punctuation in the middle of a sentence.

To Aremen: None taken.

To Raine Vindicare: Glad you liked that part.

To G.O.T. Nick: Do they annoy you or are they just disgusting monsters? Oh, and this chapter was dedicated to you.

To Dais: --; Just say it.

To Seeker of the Soul: It makes you wonder who this North School Principal is, huh?

To Bobbomp: He might. Maybe.

To Anime Albino: Rikuo is nobody huh? Yeah…

To Gryphinwyrm: Yup….got tired of doing it the other way.


	11. Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf anyway?

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Rival School Arc

Chapter 11: Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?

"Principal, they've defeated two of the Extraordinary Eight already."

"Of course they did. They are very skilled." The Principal of North School ran his hands through his hair. "Continue to watch their movements." He looked down the mountain to an old theater in the middle of the forest. ("I hope you're enjoying the walk down memory road, Pilkington.")

* * *

"Are we going to stop like this every hour or so?" Kenshin sighed as Daniel held up his hand again.

The half wolf demon looked up at the old abandoned theater in front of them. "Sorry…this island and I have some memories."

_Deondre looked at his duel disk and frowned. "We had better. I'm getting really annoyed with this. The whole first day I had to sit on the sidelines. I am going to play in the next duel." He marched right up to the double doors of the old rustic theater and knocked. "Anyone home?" When no one answered he kicked the doors a couple of times. "Open up!" Again no answer came. "You've got until the count of three to open the doors! One...two...three!" He braced his shoulder and charged at the door. Right before he got to it though a trap door opened right underneath him. To everyone watching it seemed like he had simply disappeared into thin air._

By the time Daniel's memory had ended everyone was already heading inside. "Hey! Hang on a second you guys!"

* * *

"This place doesn't seem all that special to me. I mean…besides looking like it is about to fall apart, it doesn't seem all that special." Ichigo kicked a chair into the air and then kicked it against a wall on its way down.

Hitokage frowned and walked into the actual theater itself, leaving the others in the lobby. ("Something is here…") He wasn't the slightest bit surprised when the doors behind him slammed shut and a thunderous slam was heard as a heavy steel door fell over the double doors. ("A trap hmm?") The blond-haired walked towards the stage. "Show yourself then."

A howl echoed across the cavernous room and someone dropped down onto the stage from the rafters. They threw back their head and howled again.

"Yes, I'm sure that you're scary." Hitokage stepped onto the stage, his duel disk already out. "Let's get this over with."

The spotlights flashed on to reveal a boy of about the same age as Hitokage. He had a huge mass of black hair that hung down over his shoulders and back. Slowly he opened his eyes to reveal a cold grey color to them. Something about him radiated danger to Hitokage's senses. "You are my opponent? Then you will die…for I am Feral."

Feral- 4000

Hitokage- 4000

Hitokage glanced down at his legs as metal shackles exploded out of the ground and latched onto his ankles. "And this is?"

"Life points reach zero…death." Feral pointed up to ametal sword, which was wired to spring launchers that were pointed at the blond-haired boy.

Hitokage drew calmly. "Oh, is that all?" He looked at his hand and then up at his opponent. "Then I had best start defensively until I know your strategy. So I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Feral drew. "One monster in defense. End." A face-down horizontal appeared on his field.

Hitokage frowned and drew. "A man of few words hmm? That's fine." He slapped a card onto his disk. "I summon Soul Reaver (1000/1500) in attack mode." An ethereal humanoid appeared on his field. "When this monster destroys a monster as a result of battle you take the destroyed monsters attack in damage. Also, I flip up Malice Doll of Demise!" (1600/1700) A wooden doll holding an axe appeared on the field and cackled. "Soul Reaver, attack the defense mode monster! Soul Sword!" The ethereal warrior created a sword from the light around it and slashed through the set card.

Feral- 3000

Hitokage- 4000

Feral held up his destroyed card. "Hyena (1000/300) special ability…special summon two more." A pair of grey dog-like creatures appeared on the field in crouching positions. (1000/300X2)

Hitokage pointed at one of them. "Attack." The Malice Doll threw its axe and slashed the monster apart. "End turn."

Feral drew. "Magic card Premature Burial. 800 life points…special summon Hyena." There was a flash of light from his graveyard and his Hyena reappeared on the field.

Feral- 2200

Hitokage- 4000

Hitokage narrowed his eyes. ("If he suicides it into my Soul Reaver he will lose another 1000 life points.")

Feral held up another card. "Magic card Wild Nature's Release. Beast defense transfer to attack." Energy flowed through the Hyena as its attack leapt up. (1300/0) "Attack Soul Reaver!" The dog leapt across the field and passed through the ethereal being, dissipating it.

Feral- 2200

Hitokage- 3700

"You wasted two magic cards just to do that? Not very clever…" Hitokage held up the five cards in his hand. "Perhaps you must learn about resource management?"

Feral slid a card into his disk. "Set one card face-down. Activate Emergency Provisions. Sacrifice Premature Burial and set card." Both of his magic/trap cards faded. "2000 life point gain." The Hyena faded away as well, leaving only one of the grey dogs in defense mode. "Activate Fissure. Destroy lowest attack monster on enemy field." A hole opened up the ground and pulled the Malice Doll out of sight. "End turn."

Feral- 4200

Hitokage- 3700

Hitokage drew. "I summon Hell Sloth (1800/1500) in attack mode." There was an explosion of sand from his field that quickly formed into a white and purple robed reaper. "Attack the Hyena." It leapt forward and slashed the beast apart. "End turn."

Feral drew. "Summon Pitch-Black Werewolf (1600/600) in attack mode." A black-furred humanoid wolf appeared on the field and lifted its sword, snarling at the Hell. Its only reply was an echoing cackle as the reaper lifted its scythe up into the air. "Equipment magic card Wild Axe." A huge primitive axe appeared in the Werewolf's hands in place of its sword. "Attack up by 1000, and enemy cannot activate traps." (2600/600) "Berserk Attack!" The Werewolf lunged forwards, dragging the blade of the axe along the ground until it reached its target. Then it snapped up the axe blade and slashed the Reaper down the middle. It shuddered and then turned back into sand right before it collapsed. "End turn."

Feral- 4200

Hitokage- 3100

Hitokage drew. "You can Topdeck, but that won't win this duel for you. I activate the continuous magic card Hell Chessboard!" The ground around them lifted up as it turned into a huge chessboard. "As long as this card is in play all Hell Chess Pieces gain 1000 defense points and 500 extra attack points! Go Hell Chess Piece-Rook!" (1600/2800) A huge ornate chess piece representing a rook appeared on his field. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Feral drew. "Summon Pitch-Black Werewolf. End turn." Another of the black-furred werewolves appeared on the field alongside its kin.

Hitokage drew. "End turn."

Feral drew. "End."

Hitokage drew. ("I can stall much longer than you can.") "End turn."

Feral drew. "End."

Hitokage drew. "From my hand I activate the ritual magic card Opening the Gate to the Demon World!" A pillar of red and orange light fell down onto the field. "I offer Hell Chess Piece-Rook and four level stars worth of monsters from my hand. Though I have to sacrifice eight level stars and that is only seven, I also sacrifice the magic card Dark Tribute. This card counts as a monster of four stars, so now I call out the ultimate swordsman of the demon world!" A spiky white-haired young man in a blue coat with a katana at his side appeared on the field. "Legendary Demon Swordsman Vergil!" (2800/2600)

"Attack the axe-wielding Werewolf now!" Vergil lifted his sheathed sword…and then snapped it out, swinging the weapon around in a nearly impossible to follow attack pattern. Then he inserted the weapon nearly all of the way back into its sheath…and smirked. With a click it went all the way in, and the Werewolf exploded. And he did all this without moving a single step forward. "End turn."

Feral- 4000

Hitokage- 3100

Feral drew. "Powerful warrior…but not powerful enough."

"Oh?" Hitokage narrowed his eyes, as did Vergil.

Feral placed a card onto his disk. "Summon Lycanthrope." A man wearing only a pair of brown pants appeared on the field. (400/400) "Field magic card Full Moon activate." Above them the rafters were replaced by a starry sky, with a huge full moon hanging above them. "While on field all Beast and Beast Warrior gain 600." (2200/600)

The Lycanthrope shuddered and fell to his knees. His body swelled in size, and fur began to sprout all over him.

Hitokage frowned. ("I don't like where this is going.")

Slowly the Lycanthrope stood up, now a huge humanoid grey wolf wearing the tattered remains of its pants. Snarling, it flexed its claws and growled at Vergil. (3000/2400)

Feral pointed at his monster. "Lycanthrope special ability increases attack and defense by 2000 when Full Moon in play. Type becomes Beast Warrior. Attack Vergil!" The wolf monster howled and leapt forwards, slashing through the Swordsman and blowing him apart. "Pitch-Black Werewolf attack." The other wolf monster launched forwards and slashed its sword against Hitokage's shoulder. "End turn."

Feral- 4000

Hitokage- 1300

Hitokage dropped to one knee and shuddered in pain. ("Powerful…and I cannot use my traps to defend myself.")

Feral flexed his muscles, which were now pushing against his coat. "You are no match for Feral."

"We'll see about that." Hitokage drew. "I summon Hell Chess Piece-Knight!" (2500/2600) A huge stone statue of a knight chess piece appeared on the field. "I attack your Pitch-Black Werewolf!" The statue released a blast of energy from its eyes that blew the monster away. "However, Knight cannot deal damage to life points. End turn."

Feral drew. "Dark Wolf (2000/1200) in attack mode." A dark-furred normal wolf appeared on the field. "Special ability…negate magic cards targeting Beast and Beast-Warriors." The Lycanthrope leapt through the air, its claws out to slash through the Hell Chess Piece and open up Hitokage's life points up for attack.

"Reveal Dark Tower's Defense!" Hitokage's face-down card flipped up. "This trap card lets me discard the top two cards of my deck to negate an attack." He did so and passively watched as a barrier of dark energy sprang up to block the Lycanthrope's attack.

Feral growled, revealing a pair of elongated canine teeth. "End!"

Hitokage drew. "I play the magic card Sacrifice to the Tower! This card increases my life points by 1000 every time a monster is destroyed during this turn. Now I discard one card from my hand to activate the magic card Evil Hurricane!" A blast of black wind slammed down onto the field. "All non-demon and undead monsters will now be destroyed!" Both of Feral's wolf monsters were destroyed. "End turn."

Feral- 4000

Hitokage- 3300

Feral clenched his fists, drawing blood from his palms. His eyes shimmered red in the false night of his field card. Slowly he drew the top card off of his deck. "Bazoo the Soul Eater!" (2100/900) A purple baboon appeared on his field. "Special ability, remove three Hyenas and increase attack by 900!" Energy flowed from his graveyard into the ape. (3000/900) "Destroy!" Howling, the baboon punched the Hell Chess Piece and blew it apart. "End turn."

Feral- 4000

Hitokage- 2800

Brushing his coat off, Hitokage drew. "So…you're not a demon are you?"

Feral snarled deeper.

"You're an actual werewolf…interesting." The jade-eyed boy threw his new card onto his disk. "I summon Hell Chess Piece-King!" (2500/2500) A huge stone statue shaped like the bust of a great king appeared on the field. "This card gains 200 attack points for every Hell Chess Piece in my graveyard. In total there are three." (3100/2500) "Go King!" The eyes of the bust lit up and Bazoo blew apart. "End turn."

Feral- 3900

Hitokage- 2800

Feral drew. "Cat's Ear Tribe." (700/100) A trio of little cats appeared on the field. "End turn."

Hitokage drew. ("The ability of those monsters turns the attack of any monster that attacks them to 200.") "I summon Hell Pride (1000/1200) in defense mode!" A burst of sand exploded out of the ground and formed into a black-robed reaper in a crouching position. "End turn."

Feral drew. "Sacrifice Cat's Ear Tribe for Big-Tusked Mammoth!" (2600/1000) A huge purple mammoth appeared in play and trumpeted its arrival. "Equipment magic card Wild Axe!" A primitive axe appeared strapped across the back of the monster. (3600/1000) "Attack King!"

Hitokage braced himself as the most powerful of his Hell Chess Pieces was tackled and blown into dust.

Feral- 3900

Hitokage- 2300

Feral met Hitokage's eyes. "End."

Hitokage held his gaze to his opponent's and drew. "During my standby phase Hell Pride deals 200 life points of damage to you for every Hell in my graveyard." The reaper cackled and energy flowed from its scythe into Feral, who barely acknowledged that he was being damaged.

Feral- 3500

Hitokage- 2300

Hitokage looked at his drawn card and sucked in his breath. "End turn."

Feral drew. "Continuous magic card Bite of the Lycanthrope. When damage is dealt to a monster or player, that target is turned into a Lycanthrope. Also, any monsters affected obey me. Big-Tusked Mammoth!" The huge mammoth trumpeted and charged across the field, spearing the Hell on one of its tusks. Kicking feebly, the reaper dispersed into sand. "End turn." Seconds later the Hell Pride appeared on his field, energy liming its form. (1600/1200)

Hitokage drew. "I activate Monster Reborn on Legendary Demon Swordsman Vergil!" There was a flash of the light and the warrior reappeared in play. "Attack Hell Pride!"

Feral pointed at his Mammoth. "Big-Tusked Mammoth special ability activates. Enemy monsters cannot attack during turn summoned."

Hitokage grimaced and slid a card from his hand into his disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Feral drew. "Continuous magic card Beast's Blood. When Beast or Beast-Warrior deals damage life points increase." He pointed at Vergil. "Attack Mammoth!"

Hitokage pointed at his set card. "I reveal the quickplay magic card Magical Energy Purge! This card will destroy all face-up magic cards in play!" There was a burst of energy that blew out of the card. When it was done the two of them were standing on the normal stage again. Vergil closed his eyes and shivered for a few moments. "When there are no magic cards face-up on the field, Vergil's attack and defense points drop by 800." (2000/1800)

Feral growled as Hell Pride shuddered and turned into sand again. "End turn." (2000/1000)

Hitokage drew. "Believe it or not…I am truly impressed. Your spirit is strong, as is your heart. Now though, this duel must end."

Feral frowned. "What?"

Hitokage threw a card down onto his disk. "I summon Legendary Demon Slayer Dante!" (1500/1200) A twin of Vergil's appeared on the field. The only difference was that his hair was down, and he smirked teasingly at his brother. Vergil frowned and looked away. "When Dante is summoned I may activate one equipment magic card from my deck and equip it to him. My choice is Rebellion!" An ornate sword with a crosspiece that looked like a devil's face fell from the sky and slammed into the floorboards. Dante reached over and pulled the weapon out of the ground. "This card raises Dante's attack power by 1000!" (2500/1200) "And because there is now a magic card in play, Vergil's attack points increase!" (2800/2600)

Both brothers lifted their weapons.

Feral frowned distastefully. "Attack points aren't enough."

"Actually…when both of these brothers are in play on the same side their attack points both rise by 1000!" (3500/1200) (3800/2600)

Dante leapt impossibly high into the air and slashed the Mammoth right down the middle. Vergil leapt right over his brother's head and slashed his katana through Feral's midsection. He landed on the other side of the werewolf and slowly sheathed the weapon. When the blade was fully sheathed, Feral collapsed to his knees.

Feral- 0

Hitokage- 2300

Hitokage watched as his monsters faded away. The metal door rolled away and the rest of the people he had come with all crashed into the room as their support disappeared. "Let's keep moving."

"Wait!" Feral stood up. "I come with you."

Hitokage stepped off of the stage. "I don't want a pet. Unlike Eri I keep what I like to myself."

The ex-demoness growled at him. If she had her demon strength at that moment she would have thrown a chair at the boy.

"No." Feral discarded his North School coat. "Feral follows pack leader."

"Pack leader?" Everyone echoed at once.

_To be continued…_

Added Disclaimer: No, I do not own Devil May Cry 3 either.

To Vyser: Sorry, but I've got all the duelists I'll need. You can still send them in if you wish to though.

To Rex: The problem is that there is no right cards. Ojamas are not made to deal damage.

To falcon demon general: Ah yes, Cyber Commander. A very good story writer, and he uses much more real-world content then I do.

To Voidtemplar: Three unknowns remaining.

To Grisham: Meh. That was an alright description.

To G.O.T. Nick: BTW, you have my permission to use any of my Dark Scorpion cards if you wish. Anyone else would have to ask, but since they are your territory I give them to you as gifts.

To Gryphinwyrm: Of course it isn't a coincidence.

To Dais: Okay then.

To Adriel:Also silent:

To Nanashi Minimino: He might be.

To wolfy: You would run Deondre's deck by using cards that deal with the removed from play pile. Ahran is inside Ichigo's head, and unlike Rikuo he isn't quite so strong spiritually. Staying out for too long is draining on his strength. No, Rikuo is back to normal but he returned home.

To queenofgames: No thanks needed.

To Bobbomp: You have a problem with Dark Scorpions?

To Anime Albino: My word processor didn't like 'a nobody'.

To Seeker of the Soul: Oh, it isn't Garlin. Don't worry, I swear on my life it isn't a Sestros spawn either.

To Star: Then my message didn't apply to you.

To Raine Vindicare: And you ask questions I will not answer.


	12. Mirror Images

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Rival School Arc

Chapter 12: Mirror Images

Everyone stared at the misty graveyard in front of them.

"What kind of weird place is this island?" Krieger sighed and went first. After facing Wraith he didn't feel fear from something as a graveyard. "They've got a graveyard. Wasn't this a site for a tournament once before too?"

Daniel frowned as he walked near the back of the group. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to get lost here. ("Oh yes it was for a tournament. But it was tournament brought to you by a psychopath capable of horrible atrocities.")

_The group actually made it through the graveyard with little problem, until they reached the gates on the other side._

_("Shadow Corporation Emissaries.") Rikuo stated. It wasn't so much of a warning to Daniel as a reminder that Rikuo would deal with all members of the Shadow Corporation. ("I heard ya Rikuo.")_

_Sure enough, the two black-cloaked emissaries were waiting for them at the gates out of the graveyard. Daniel sighed and stepped forward, deck shuffled and duel disk in place. "Let's get this over with."_

_The tallest emissary held out his hand. In a deep bass voice he rumbled, "We are here to challenge your team boy, not you."_

Wiping a drop of sweat from his forehead, Daniel kept a brisk walk going.

Hitokage glanced back at Feral, who was keeping close proximity to him. "For the last time, go away."

"Pack must stay together." The boy continued to stand in the general area of the canine members of the group. "Strange pack though…"

Hitokage rolled his eyes and kept walking.

Kenshin walked alongside Davis. "So what is your deal anyway?"

Closing his eyes, the southern boy kept walking. "I'm here to keep an eye on a certain someone and make sure that nothing happens to them."

"I thought Ichigo was supposed the one who was into cloak and dagger stuff," the Crusader muttered under his breath and kept walking.

Krieger came to a stop the moment the gates came into view. "Someone's there."

Davis stepped past the rest of the group. "I'll deal with this one."

The being standing at the very edge of the gates was covered from head to toe in black cloth.

Davis tipped his cowboy hat back. "Well, we gonna duel or what?"

The covered being made a few weird noises. _("Scanning for highest energy level…highest energy level found…copying deck type.")_ It reached up with one hand and tore away all of the cloth in one pull.

Everyone gasped in pure surprise at who they saw underneath it.

Ichigo did a double-take…and then looked at his father. "Hey, how did you get over there?"

Daniel stared bug-eyed at the exact duplicate of him that was standing across the graveyard from Davis. ("What in the hell is that?")

The duplicate Daniel held up its disk. "Let's do this!"

Duplicate- 4000

Davis- 4000

Davis gulped and drew. ("Don't worry…he just looks like Professor Pilkington. That doesn't mean that he'll be as good as he is.") Glancing at his hand, he smiled slightly. ("Alright, let's start off with the basic swarm.") "I summon Virus Zombie (900/450) in defense mode!" A half-decayed corpse appeared on the field in a crouching position. "When this monster is summoned I special summon as many of the other four in my deck and hand as I can to the field!" Four more walking corpses appeared on his field in crouching positions. "End turn."

Daniel narrowed his eyes at the being that for now he decided to call Duplicate. ("So Duplicate looks like me…so that means his deck is probably a copy of mine. But…how can it copy my Soul Deck. The cards are constantly changing.")

Duplicate closed his eyes and smirked. "Five defense mode monsters on the field turn? Not bad…but not good enough!" He snapped the top card off of his deck. "I summon Elemental Hero Burst Lady!" (1200/800) A woman in a red body-suit appeared on the field. "Burst Fire!" She lifted up her hand and shot a fireball from it that instantly blew away one of the zombies. "Also, I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Daniel frowned. ("Elemental Heroes…lucky for Davis that Duplicate didn't copy my Clock Tower deck.")

Davis drew. ("Elemental Heroes are warriors…and I have a secret weapon to deal with Warrior cards.") "I play the magic card Dark and Stormy Night! This magic card lets me sacrifice Virus monsters that cannot be sacrificed normally! So I sacrifice one zombie to bring out Virus Titan-Nemesis!" (2400/2000) One of the four remaining corpses disappeared and was replaced by the misshapen titan that was one of Davis' key cards. It growled quietly, fleshy tentacles sliding up and down its head slowly. "However, during the turn I do this I cannot attack. End turn."

Duplicate drew. "I play the magic card Hero Team Jet! This card lets me discard one card from my hand to special summon two Elemental Hero cards from my deck to the field. However, these cards will return to my deck at the end of the turn." He removed two cards from his deck. "Come out now, Elemental Heroes Sparkman and Clayman!" (1600/1400) (800/2000) A blue and yellow armored superhero appeared on the field, followed by a monster that looked more like a block of clay than a superhero. "Now I activate Polymerization to fuse these two monsters together and create Elemental Hero Thunder Giant!" (2400/1500)

There was an explosion of lightning that slammed into the ground and formed into a towering yellow and white armored superhero who roared, the sound enhanced by the thunder crashing in the background. "When summoned this monster destroys one monster on the field that equal to or less than its attack points! Vapor Sparks!" A bolt of lightning fell from the sky and blew Nemesis away. "Now I attack two of your zombies! Burst Fire and Voltaic Thunder!" Both of his monsters released their respective elements and destroyed two more of Davis' last defense. "End turn." He held up the two cards he had chosen with Hero Team Jet and shuffled them into his deck.

Daniel gulped. ("Okay…he runs the deck like I would.")

Davis grimaced and drew. ("I need to defend myself!") "I summon Virus Weapon-Licker (1500/1200) in defense mode!" An warped inside-out lizard creature appeared on his field in a crouching position. "I activate its special ability. Even while in defense mode this monster can still attack! Tongue Thrashing!" It opened its jaws and an impossibly long tongue snapped out towards Burst Lady.

"Reveal Hero Barrier!" Duplicate pointed at his set card and glowing barrier appeared in front of Burst Lady to block the tongue strike. "This trap card will only work if I have an Elemental Hero in play. One attack is negated." He smirked. "Your attempts are pointless."

Davis gritted his teeth. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Duplicate drew. "I set a monster face-down. Now Burst Lady attacks your last Zombie! Burst Fire!" The woman hurled a fireball across the field and burnt the last undead monster to ash.

Davis looked at his set cards. ("Come on…finish it…")

Duplicate pointed at Licker. "Thunder Giant, Voltaic Thunder!" The huge hero lifted its arms and released a lump of electrical energy that slammed into the mutation and completely destroyed it.

Davis pointed at one of his set cards. "I reveal Night of the Living Dead! This trap card activates when a monster on my field is destroyed as a result of battle. Now I special summon three monsters from my graveyard to the field in defense mode, and you get to draw two cards!" There was a flash of light from his graveyard slot and two Virus Zombies along with Nemesis appeared on the field in crouching positions.

Duplicate snapped the top two cards off of its deck. "End turn."

Davis drew. "Here we go! I switch Nemesis into attack mode and attack Burst Lady!" The monster stood up, howled, and then barreled across the field to tackle the female hero. "End turn."

Duplicate- 2800

Davis- 4000

Duplicate drew. "Thunder Giant attacks one of your Zombies! Voltaic Thunder!" The huge superhero lifted a hand and casually released a blast of electricity that vaporized the defense mode monster. "Now I summon Friendog (700/1200) in defense mode." A machine dog appeared on the field in a crouching position. "End turn."

Davis drew. "I activate the magic card Facility Disaster. Now I add one level four or lower Virus monster from my deck to my hand." He removed a card from his deck and added it to his hand. "Then I set one card face-down and attack your set monster with Nemesis!" The huge monster tackled the set card and it blew apart. "End turn."

Duplicate drew. "Thunder Giant, attack now! Voltaic Thunder!" The monster released a blast of lightning that cooked the last zombie. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Davis drew. ("He's setting me up for something…but it's a shame that my set card will disturb his plans.") "Reveal Mystical Space Typhoon. This quickplay magic card will destroy your set card!" A blast of wind shattered the set card. "Now I summon Virus Hound!" (1000/300) An undead dog appeared on his field. "Nemesis, attack Thunder Giant now!" The misshapen titan charged and tackled the superhero, both monsters blowing apart into dust. "Now I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Duplicate drew. "I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Davis drew. "So what are you going to do now that your big monster is gone? I have still have back-up plans, unlike you. I set one card face-down and switch Virus Hound into defense mode." The undead fell lowered its head and snarled quietly. "End turn."

Duplicate drew. "End turn."

Davis drew. He looked at the drawn card and smirked. ("This is too perfect.") "Reveal face-down trap card! Go Emergence of Titan! This trap card lets me destroy a Virus monster on my field to special summon a Virus Titan from my graveyard to the field!" The Virus Hound exploded and was replaced by the snarling form of Nemesis. "Then from my hand I play the magic card Virus Mutation!" Nemesis howled in pain and fell to its knees, body shifting and warping as it changed into a huge quadruped monstrosity. "Final Titan-Damascus is special summoned from my hand!" (2800/3000) "Go Damascus!" Opening its cavernous jaws, the monster sprayed the set monster card with acid, melting it away.

Duplicate held up to cards from its graveyard. "You attacked my second Friendog. And when it is destroyed I add a Polymerization card and an Elemental Hero card from my graveyard to my hand." It snickered. "You fell for my trick."

Davis paled and looked helplessly at the last card in his hand. "End turn."

Duplicate drew. "I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman (800/1200) in attack mode." A blue-armored superhero appeared in play and struck a curious pose. "Then I equip my monster with the magic card Bubble Shooter!" A metal bazooka appeared over the shoulder of the hero. "This card raises its attack points by 800!" (1600/1200) "End turn."

Davis drew. "Damascus, attack Bubbleman!" The monster sprayed a burst of acid towards the superhero, but snarled in confusions as the acid hit the Bubble Shooter and blew apart. (800/1200) "What?"

"When Bubbleman would be destroyed as a result of battle Bubble Shooter is destroyed instead." Duplicate smirked and drew. "And now I sacrifice these two monsters to summon Elemental Hero Edgeman!" (2600/1400) Both Friendog and Bubbleman disappeared and were replaced by a golden-armored superhero who had blades attached to its arms.

Davis frowned. "Damascus has more than enough attack points to deal with your monster."

"He might, but that's why I play this!" Duplicate opened its field magic card slot and placed a card into it. "Activate Skyscraper!" All around them huge buildings sprang up into the air. "This card, while in play, increases the attack power of all hero monsters by 1000 when they battle with a stronger monster! Power Edge Attack!" (3600/1400) Jets snapped open on Edgeman's back and it rocketed across the field to slash down the bio-weapon. "End turn."

Duplicate- 2800

Davis- 3200

Davis gulped as he realized that he was staring down a monster that had the power to deal damage through defense. "It's my turn…draw." He slid the top card off of his deck and held it up. "I activate Pot of Greed! Now I draw two cards!" Sliding two more cards off of his deck, he added them to his hand. ("This is my best shot!") "I play Skyscraper!"

Duplicate blinked in surprise as its field magic card slot opened and spat out its own field card. "What?"

"You heard me!" Davis discarded a card from his hand. "I discard one Virus monster to send my Skyscraper to the graveyard and play Infected City!" The lights of all of the buildings died out, leaving nothing but a ghost town. "I've got the cards to beat this. I activate the magic card Monster Reborn! Return the monster I discarded! Virus Titan-Tyrant!" (2500/0) The ground in front of him exploded upwards and formed into a huge monster that was at least twelve feet tall. Its sexless pale-skinned body silently lifted a huge clawed arm. "Reveal face-down quickplay magic card Dark Gas!" A purple cloud of gas fell down onto the field. "All non-demon and undead monsters now switch to defense mode until the end of the turn!" Edgeman shuddered and fell to its knees. "Tyrant! Attack with Impact Slash!" The huge monster lunged across the field and slashed through the superhero with one casual swipe. "This monster can deal damage through defense, so take this!" Tyrant kept sliding and tackled Duplicate. "End turn!"

Duplicate- 1700

Davis- 3200

Duplicate got up and brushed itself off. "Draw." It drew and added the card to its hand. "I play the magic card The Warrior Returning Alive. Now I pick up a warrior monster from my graveyard and add it to my hand." It picked up a card from its graveyard slot and added it to its hand. "I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman." The blue-armored superhero appeared on the field. "When this card is summoned and I have no other cards on the field, I draw two cards." It pulled the top two cards off of its deck and held them both up. "Elemental Hero Featherman (1000/1000) and Elemental Hero Sparkman. Now I take them both and activate Polymerization!"

Daniel paled. ("There's no fusion between Featherman and Sparkman…but…") He gulped. "He's bringing out Tempest…"

"Tempest?" Ichigo tilted his head to the side.

Duplicate pointed at Bubbleman, who turned into a ball of blue light. "I fuse Bubbleman, Sparkman, and Featherman together now!" A green ball of light and a light blue ball appeared next to the blue one. "Come out now, Elemental Hero Tempest!" (2800/2300) The being that appeared on his field had spiky green hair, a blue visor over its face, and a metal blaster instead of a right hand. "Attack Tyrant now! Chaos Tempest!" Tempest lifted its blaster arm and released a blue blast of energy that slammed into the monster and blew it apart.

Duplicate- 1700

Davis- 2900

Davis frowned deeply. ("Damn it…")

Duplicate slid a card into its disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Davis drew. "I set a monster in defense mode and activate the continuous magic card Regeneration Chamber." A metal coffin-shaped machine rose up from the ground. "This card will stand on my field for three turns, at which point I may sacrifice it to special summon any monster in my graveyard. End turn."

Duplicate drew. "Tempest, attack now! Chaos Tempest!" The warrior lifted its blaster and released another blast of energy that shattered the set card.

Davis held up his face-down monster. "Virus Spider (700/1400) when destroyed special summons two Virus Spider Children Tokens (500/500) to the field in defense mode." A pair of dog-sized tarantulas appeared on the field.

Duplicate slid a card into its disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Davis drew and a light lit up along the front of the coffin. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Duplicate drew. "I set a card face-down and activate the magic card Silent Rebirth." There was a flash of light from its graveyard and the blue/yellow form of Elemental Hero Sparkman appeared on the field in defense mode. "Now I play the equipment magic card Spark Gun!" Sparkman lifted its arm and a weapon looking like a machine gun appeared in the hero's hand. "This card can three times switch the modes of monsters on the field and then it is destroyed." Sparkman pointed the weapon at the two spiders and fired, energy slamming into both spiders and forcing them into attack mode. "Now I summon Elemental Hero Burst Lady!" (1200/800) The female superhero appeared on the field and then lifted up her hand to reveal a ball of red flame. "It's over. Burst Fire!" She threw the blast across the field and it slammed into the little spider, blowing it apart.

Duplicate- 1700

Davis- 2200

Davis pointed at his set card. "I activate Gravehole of Revival! When a monster on my field is destroyed as a result of battle we both now special summon a monster from our graveyard to the field in defense mode! Return Virus Spider!" A huge tarantula appeared on the field in a crouching position.

Duplicate grasped a card from its graveyard and threw it onto the disk. "Return Elemental Hero Featherman!" A hero in a feathery green suit appeared on the field in a crouching position. "And now Tempest finishes the job! Chaos Tempest!" The composite superhero lifted its arm and released a blast of blue energy that slammed into the little spider and blew it apart.

Davis pointed at his other set card. "Reveal Cries of Despair! When a monster on my field is destroyed I gain life points equal to the attack of the attacking monster and my opponent loses half of that amount!"

Duplicate- 300

Davis- 2700

Duplicate frowned and pointed at its field. "Activate face-down Polymerization! Fuse Burst Lady and Featherman together to create Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" (2100/1200) The two named monsters were pulled together into a glowing vortex. What emerged was a half green half red warrior with a dragon head for one arm. It struck a pose and roared. "End turn."

Davis frowned and drew, another light flickering to life on the Regeneration Chamber. "I play the continuous magic card Virus Vaccine. As long as this card is in play all battle damage I receive through a Virus monster becomes zero and whenever a Virus monster is destroyed as a result of battle I gain 500 life points. End turn."

Duplicate drew. "I attack your Spider with Flame Wingman! Flame Shooter!" The green and red superhero become covered in flames and slammed into the arachnid, blowing it apart. "When Flame Wingman destroys a monster as a result of battle it deals you that monsters attack is damage!" The superhero lowered down to right in front of Davis and lifted its dragon arm. Flames danced around the dragon mouth and then Davis disappeared as fire poured over him.

Duplicate- 300

Davis- 2500

Davis gritted his teeth, fighting to not pass out from the pain of the fire. "When Virus Spider is destroyed I special summon two Virus Spider Children Tokens!" Two more dog-sized tarantulas appeared on his field.

Duplicate pointed at one of them. "Chaos Tempest!" Tempest lifted its arm and fired another blast of energy that blew the spider apart. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Duplicate- 300

Davis- 3000

Davis drew. ("With the number of set cards he has in play I'd be foolish to attack.") The final light on his chamber lit up. "I activate the effect of Regeneration Chamber! Revive Final Titan-Damascus!" (2800/3000) The huge transformed version of Nemesis appeared on the field in a crouching position. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Duplicate drew. "I activate Spark Gun's effect. Now Final Titan-Damascus will switch into attack mode!" Sparkman lifted the gun and fired, a blast of energy hitting the titan and forcing it to stand up. With a weak crack the Spark Gun shattered into dust. "Then I set one monster in defense mode and attack your Spider Token with Flame Wingman! Flame Shooter!" The superhero lifted its dragon arm, which released a blast of fire that instantly destroyed the spider. "Because of Virus Vaccine's effect, you technically lose and gain no life points. Now I attack Damascus with Tempest!"

"So you're willing to suicide your best monster?" Davis frowned.

Duplicate snickered. "Tempest's special ability allows me to send one card on my field to the graveyard to prevent it from being destroyed as a result of battle! So I send the monster I set to the graveyard!" A glowing aura surrounded the three-way fusion. "Attack Damascus with Chaos Tempest!" It lifted its blaster and fired.

"Reveal face-down quickplay magic card!" Damascus took the blast on the chin and blew apart. "De-Evolution activates when an evolved monster is sent to the graveyard. Now I special summon Virus Titan-Nemesis from my graveyard to the field!" A roar shook the air as the giant monster appeared in front of him.

Duplicate grimaced. "End turn."

Davis drew. "I play the magic card Eliminate Target. Now I select one monster…and draw two cards. If I cannot destroy that monster by the end of the turn then I take 2000 points of damage." He drew twice. Nemesis lifted its arm and pointed at Tempest. "That is my target."

"How can you destroy Tempest?" Duplicate sneered. "It is impossible to kill in battle as long as I have cards on my field."

Davis looked at his drawn cards nervously…and then smiled. "In battle yes…but what about outside of battle? From my hand I activate another Dark Gas!" Both Tempest and Flame Wingman dropped to one knee. "And then the equipment magic card Rocket Launcher!" A huge rocket launched appeared attached to Nemesis' arm. "Twice I can destroy a defense mode monster in play! Double Fire!" Roaring, Nemesis lifted the weapon and fired a pair of rockets that hurtled across the field and slammed into both fusion heroes, blowing them away.

Duplicate clenched its fists. "You…you destroyed my monsters!"

Nemesis growled quietly as the empty Rocket Launcher came off of its arm and fell to the ground.

Davis pointed at Sparkman. "One last hit to go! Go Nemesis!" The giant charged and tackled the hero, blowing it away. "End turn."

Duplicate drew. "I activate Hero's Will. This magic card lets me take two Elemental Heroes from my graveyard and add them to my hand." He held up Bubbleman and Sparkman. "End turn."

Davis drew. "Nemesis, end this with a direct attack!" The giant roared and charged.

Duplicate pointed at one of its set cards. "I activate Magnetic Recovery. This quickplay magic card lets me special summon one machine monster from my graveyard to the field in defense mode!" Friendog reappeared on the field just in time to get tackled and blown apart. "When this card is destroyed, I pick up an Elemental Hero and a Polymerization card." It held up Polymerization and Featherman.

Davis gulped. ("Now he has all the cards needed to reform Tempest.") "I set a…"

"I'm not done yet! Reveal Hero Signal!" One of Duplicate's face-down cards flipped up. "This trap card lets me special summon one Elemental Hero from my deck to the field when a monster is destroyed as a result of battle." A bulky clay humanoid appeared on the field in a crouching position. "Elemental Hero Clayman in defense mode."

Davis slid his card into his disk. "I set a card face-down. End turn."

Duplicate drew. "End turn."

Ichigo blinked in complete surprise. "He didn't create Tempest again?"

Daniel smiled slightly. "So it's true. That thing is copying my deck perfectly. And that means one of my deck's flaws has just come to light."

"A flaw?" Kenshin stepped forwards a little.

"Yes. Though I have resources for finding cards, it isn't always easy to get those cards. Elemental Hero Tempest is an incredibly rare card…and I only managed to find one copy of it." The half wolf demon smirked. "And that means that it can't summon Tempest because there isn't another one in its deck."

"So Davis still has a chance." Ichigo didn't trust the southern boy yet, but he preferred over this false version of his father.

Davis had heard it all. And he knew that he had to end this quickly. "Draw! I summon Virus Hound!" (1000/300) A half-decayed dog stalked out of a nearby alley and snarled at Duplicate. "Nemesis, attack Clayman!" The giant launched forwards and punched a hole in the hero's chest. "And finish this with Virus Hound!"

"Activate Hero Spirit!" Duplicate pointed at its set card, which flipped up. A phantom version of Clayman appeared and blocked the dog's attack. "During the turn that an Elemental Hero is destroyed, I can negate battle damage."

Davis wrung his hands nervously. "End turn."

Duplicate drew. "I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman in attack mode." The blue armored hero appeared and struck its normal curious pose. "As before, I draw two cards." It slid the top two cards off of its deck. "Now I play the magic card Hero's Welcome. This card sends all fusion Elemental Heroes from my graveyard to their space back in my fusion deck." Its graveyard spat out Thunder Giant, Flame Wingman, and Tempest. Holding the cards up, it inserted them into the fusion deck slot of the disk.

"No…" Davis glanced at Nemesis, who snarled in agitation.

Duplicate held up a card from its hand. "Now I activate Polymerization! Fuse together Sparkman, Featherman, and Bubbleman!" The other two pieces of the fusion appeared on the field and then all three combined to reform Tempest. (2800/2300) "Chaos Tempest!" The superhero lifted its blaster arm and blew Nemesis away. "I set three cards face-down and end my turn."

Duplicate- 300

Davis- 3500

Davis looked down at his deck. ("What's left in my deck that can hold against that thing? Neo-Virus could…if I had the cards to cause it to level up quickly. But I don't…")

Daniel closed his eyes. ("I had a feeling it would get Hero's Welcome. So now…what do you do Davis? There are almost no monsters that can match Tempest's attack points. However…you beat it once, and I bet you can do it again.")

Davis drew. "I'm going all out. Win or lose, I'm going to make sure you remember this duel!" He looked at the drawn card…and his eyes widened. "From my hand…I activate the magic card Evil Never Dies! Revive Nemesis!" The misshapen titan appeared on the field. "And this time, I'll defeat you right now!"

Duplicate narrowed its eyes.

Daniel opened his eyes slowly…and smirked.

Davis pointed at his set card. "I activate Crushing the Defenses! This card will destroy one monster on my field!" The Virus Hound shuddered and blew apart. "Now I switch Tempest to defense mode!" The composite hero fell to one knee. "During my battle phase only Nemesis can attack. Now I draw cards from my deck…and for every monster I draw it can attack once."

"You'll need five cards to win…impossible considering you have thinned your deck of so many monsters so quickly…"

"We'll see!" Davis snapped the top five cards off of his deck. "I submit this duel if this doesn't work!"

Everyone went silent…

Davis held up the five cards to his eyes…. "Virus Crow…Neo-Virus Level 4….Level 5….Level 7…and Level 9!" He discarded all five cards. "Go Nemesis!" The giant ran right up Tempest and beat it mercilessly. With each hit that landed one of Duplicate's set cards vanished. And then with the fourth hit it destroyed the hero. "Direct attack!" The punch kept going, and blew a hole in Duplicate's chest. "This duel is mine."

Duplicate- 0

Davis- 3500

Duplicate shuddered and blew apart, pieces of metal raining down over the graveyard.

Daniel casually walked up and kicked the husk of metal that had been his copy. "I'd have won that duel too. You give machines a bad name."

_To be continued…_

To RedPhoenix330: No, they come from Devil May Cry 3. I've never read The Divine Comedy.

To Adriel: Errr….okay….I'm glad you get it.

To Grisham: Meh…Dracula would get staked right quick.

To Just a Dude: I might have a use for that deck.

To G.O.T. Nick: No problem.

To Voidtemplar: There are similarities.

To Hogwarts-Knight: There are always exceptions to the rule.

To Grizzly Under There: I'm juggling nine characters dialogue right now. Rikuo would make things harder and at the same time not so dramatic.

To Dais: Four more to go.

To Seeker of the Soul: Pack leader…you heard me.

To falcon demon general: Not a problem. Thank you for submitting him.

To Raine Vindicare: A pac-man deck would be so freaking boring.

To Bobbomp: Again with the Donnie Z…

To Anime Albino: A nobody is ungrammatical.

To Rex: It's impossible. No way to deal damage.

To Darkstar71: I owe it all to the abilities of Yami Knight and Hikari Knight. They brought the idea of thinking cards to me.


	13. R through Z

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Rival School Arc

Chapter 13: R through Z

They arrived at the castle about an hour after Davis had defeated Duplicate.

And sure enough there was someone waiting for them at the entrance.

Kenshin couldn't make out who it was, but his plan remained clear to him. "I'll take this one."

Daniel looked down at the clipboard and frowned. ("This whole meet is a lie. We have to beat every North School member to win. Otherwise, they win.") Sighing, he stepped aside and let the Crusader walk past him. "Sure, help yourself."

The North School student who was waiting for them at the entrance was a young blond-haired child who couldn't have been older than 12. "So, who's my opponent?"

Kenshin held up his disk. "I'm your opponent."

"You?" The boy shrugged and held up his arm, its disk activating. "That's fine with me. I'll defeat whoever my opponent is without that much trouble. My name is Alfred, and I am a true genius."

Kenshin rolled his eyes. "And so am I."

"We'll see about that." Alfred's disk slid into place. "By the time I am done, you'll understand that you're nothing compared to me."

"I've heard bold claims like that before from better men, unlike a certain 4'6" child in front of me." Kenshin's disk slid into place. "Now prepare to feel the cold steel of the Crusader's blade! Duel!"

Alfred- 4000

Kenshin- 4000

Kenshin drew. "I'm first! I summon Kaiser Seahorse (1700/1650) in defense mode and end my turn!" A blue-armored monster appeared on his field in a crouching position.

Alfred smiled. "I can already see how weak your monsters really are! Draw!" He snapped the top card off of his deck and held it up to his eyes. "I activate Tiny Pound Hammer!"

"What?" Kenshin's eyes widened as a holographic of the drawn card appeared on the field.

"This card lets me shuffle itself and any number of cards from my hand into my deck. Then I draw that same number of total cards." Alfred grabbed four other cards and shuffled them all into his deck. Then he took off the top five of his deck and fanned them out in front of him. "And then I play it again!" He shuffled it and two cards into his deck. "Now I play it again!" He shuffled the card and three more cards into his deck with it.

("How many times is he going to draw that card?") Kenshin growled as his opponent looked at his drawn cards and held up Tiny Pound Hammer again, shuffling two cards into his deck.

Alfred held up his six cards. ("Good enough…") "I summon R-Combat Robot (1900/1000) in attack mode!" A silver-colored humanoid robot appeared on the field.

"R-Combat Robot?" Daniel blinked in surprise. "Since when did…did…"

Kenshin gritted his teeth. ("Great…")

Alfred pointed at Kaiser Seahorse. "Crush it!" The robot leapt forwards and punched the monster in the face, blowing it apart. "End turn."

Kenshin drew. "I summon Lightning Knight!" (1900/1700) A silver-armored knight holding a steel staff appeared on the field. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

"You think you can force me into a standoff position? You're dead wrong!" Alfred drew. "I summon S-Hover Shark!" (1400/1300) A green-colored robotic shark appeared on the field. "I activate its effect and union it with R-Combat Robot!" The two robots pulled together to create a humanoid shark-like robot. (2500/1000) "Attack Lightning Knight!" The machine leapt forwards and lifted its arm to punch through Lightning Knight.

"Reveal Drain Vortex!" Kenshin pointed at his set card. "This quickplay magic card sends one attacking monster on the field back into its owner's deck and we both draw a card!" R-Combat Robot disappeared, and the pieces of the S-Hover Shark blew apart. Then both duelists pulled the top card off of their decks.

Alfred snarled and slid a card into his deck. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Kenshin drew. "I'm much better than you think, genius. Now I summon Dark Blade!" (1800/1500) A dark-armored warrior holding two curved scimitars appeared on the field. "Attack his life points directly my two monsters!"

Alfred pointed at his set. "I activate the trap card Sonic Cannon! This card negates all attacks during this turn!" Both warriors fell to their knees.

Kenshin frowned. "End turn."

Alfred drew. "Now I'll show you why no one messes with my machines! I activate Repair Nanites! This card revives a machine from my graveyard with 1000 less attack points and no effect!" S-Hover Shark shimmered back into existence on his field. (400/1300) "Now I summon T-Blast Jet (1600/1700) to the field in attack mode!" A purple jet fighter appeared on his field. "I union S-Hover Shark with it!" The two machines combined to create a purple and green robotic shark with huge jet wings. (2200/1700) "Now attack Lightning Knight! Sonic Slash!" It launched forwards and cut the knight in half with its wing edges. "End turn!"

Alfred- 4000

Kenshin- 3700

Kenshin drew. ("There's nothing in my hand that can deal with his robot…I have to go defensive for now.") "I switch Dark Blade into defense mode and set a monster face-down. End turn." The dark-armored fell to one knee.

Alfred drew. "I play the continuous magic card Frontline Base! As long as this card is in play I can special summon a level four or lower union monster from my hand to the field once per turn!" He slapped a card onto his disk. "Go Z-Metal Tank!" (1500/1300) Then he slapped another card down. "Go Y-Dragon Head!" (1500/1600) A yellow metal tank and a red mechanical dragon appeared on the field. "Now I use the effect of S-Hover Shark to separate it from T-Blast Jet!" The two machines on his field broke apart and formed into their original pieces. (1400/1300) (1600/1700)

Kenshin paled. ("Not good…not good….")

Alfred pointed at Dark Blade. "Go T-Blast Jet!" The jet fired twin beams of light that slammed into Dark Blade and blew the warrior apart. "S-Hover Shark!" Kenshin's face-down was hit by a torpedo that blew it apart. "Direct attack!" Y-Dragon Head released a blast of lightning from its mouth that washed over the Crusader, and then Z-Metal Tank shot a beam from its single eye that hit him right in the chest.

Alfred- 4000

Kenshin- 700

Kenshin collapsed to his knees and coughed in pain. ("Damn…")

Alfred pointed at his monsters. "Now I union Z-Metal Tank to Y-Dragon Head and S-Hover Shark to T-Blast Jet!" The four robots blew apart and formed into two new robots. (2100/1600) (2200/1700) "End turn."

Kenshin drew. "It's time to fight back against your machines! First I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight (1800/1600) in attack mode!" A black and silver armored knight appeared on his field. "Then I play the magic card Warrior's Crest! This card raises the attack of all warriors in play by 1000 for one turn!" (2800/1600) "Gearfried, attack now!" His knight launched forwards and slashed its sword across the front of the ST combination. The Hover Shark shuddered and blew apart. "I set one card face-down and end my turn." (1800/1600)

Alfred- 3400

Kenshin- 700

Alfred drew. ("Perfect…") "I activate the equipment magic card Perfect Design! This card lets me only activate it if I have a machine on the field, that can union with one in the graveyard!" S-Hover Shark reappeared in play. "Now that monster is revived! YZ union, attack Gearfried!" The red and yellow robot blasted Gearfried in the chest and blew him apart.

Alfred- 3400

Kenshin- 400

Kenshin pointed at his set card. "Go Knights of the Round! This trap card lets me pay half of my life points when a knight monster is destroyed as a result of battle. Now I special summon three Knights to the field! Command Knight, (1200/1900) Blade Knight (1600/1000) and another Gearfried the Iron Knight!" (1800/1600) A female knight wearing feather armor appeared on the field in a crouching position, and next to her another black/silver knight alongside a silver knight appeared on the field. "When Command Knight is in play the attack of all warriors rises by 400!" (2200/1600) (2000/1000)

Alfred pointed at YZ. "Activate the effect of Z-Metal Tank! Break-down!" The machine blew apart into its separate pieces. "Fusion!" Both came together once more to form a tank with a dragon's head. (2100/2200) "YZ-Tank Dragon in defense mode! Also, I play the equipment magic card Magnetic Armor! While this card is in play the equipped monster card gains 500 defense points!" (2100/2700) "Also, you can only attack this monster now. End turn."

Kenshin drew. "First I play Pot of Greed. Then I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Alfred drew. "I end my turn."

Kenshin drew and smirked. "Reveal Final Attack Orders! This continuous trap card forces all monsters in play to go into attack mode!" YZ-Tank Dragon rumbled as it switched modes. "Then I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Perfect Design!" A blast of wind shattered the card and S-Hover Shark disappeared. "It's done."

"I'm not anywhere near done!" Alfred growled.

"We'll see about that! I switch Command Knight into attack mode!" Kenshin slid three cards into his disk. "I set these three cards face-down, which means I have one card in my hand! Now the attack power of Blade Knight increases by 400!" (2400/1000) "Blade Knight, attack now!" The warrior leapt forwards and slashed through the fusion robot.

Alfred- 3100

Kenshin- 200

Alfred paled slightly. "I'm still not beaten yet!"

"Gearfried, attack T-Blast Jet!" The knight slashed through the purple machine and it exploded.

Alfred- 2600

Kenshin- 200

Alfred stumbled back. "I…said…I'm…not…done!"

"Yes you are!" Kenshin held up his last hand card. "From my hand I play the quickplay magic card Strength of the Pure Heart! Now whenever a Knight lands a direct attack during this turn you take an extra 1000 damage! Command Knight's special ability strengthens itself as well!" (1600/1900) "Direct attack!" The female knight slashed across Alfred's chest. "And Strength of the Pure Heart means that you take 1000 life points of damage. Good game."

Alfred- 2600- 1000- 0

Kenshin- 200

Alfred fell to his knees. "But I…didn't even get out my best monsters."

Kenshin side-stepped and did a shallow bow to the group behind him. "Go ahead."

From the camera view he was getting, the Principal of North School knew that everyone was there. ("Excellent….they're all here.") He reached over and tapped a button on his control panel. "Make sure that they know where they are going."

_To be continued…_

Author's Notes: Forgive me if this chapter seemed lackluster. I'm not feeling well and personally this wasn't that big of a duel to me. So I just played it out…and yes, I drew Tiny Pound Hammer that many times.

To Rex: --; From what you said before…it was if a deck had nothing but Ojama cards. None of those cards deal damage. I could splash in plenty of other cards to do damage, but I was looking at it from using Ojama only.

To Raine: They suck hmmm? Not every member of this freaking team is impossible to defeat, and we are talking about Ichigo and company, who are all strong duelists in their own right.

To Bobbomp: Whatever, call Don Zaloog what you wish.

To Anime Albino: Thank you for your endless well of grammatical knowledge. :P

To falcon demon general: I understand the feeling of not having anything on the mind. I'm currently experiencing that lovely blank in my brain as well.

To Dais: North School is very strange indeed, no?

To G.O.T. Nick: He could have. And yes, I saw the irony in that last chapter as well.

To Voidtemplar: First time I have ever heard someone use Topdeck as an adjective.

To Hogwarts-Knight: Sorry, that's a question I shan't answer.

To Adriel: I don't know. Probably not very well.

To Seeker of the Soul: Thank you very much.


	14. Battle of the Opposing Rivals

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Rival School Arc

Chapter 14: Battle of the Opposing Rivals

The lobby of the castle was nearly empty. Except for person standing right in front of the elevator.

"Hey look everybody, it's a washed up has been!" Ichigo grinned playfully. "How have you been Richard?"

The blond-haired boy, still wearing his black jump-suit, glared at the half demon. "Shut up Pilkington. I'm here to close your mouth once and for all."

Ichigo shook his head. "I'll play you any other time, but I have to end a little something I have with your boss."

"Vincent is not my boss. He's nothing but a foolish loser. Just like you." Richard held up his disk, which was already in place.

Adriel stepped forward. "There're only three of us left. So that means that it's my turn to duel." His disk clicked into place. "Let's begin."

Richard- 4000

Adriel- 4000

Adriel drew. "I'm first! One monster in defense and I end my turn."

Richard drew. "Prepare for the power of the true spies! Polar Beast-South (1500/1000) in attack mode!" A mechanical red animal appeared on his field "Destroy the set monster!" It opened its jaws and blew the set monster apart with a blast of magnetic force.

Adriel held up the card. "Masked Dragon's special ability lets me special summon one dragon from my deck with 1500 or less attack points! Go Doom Dragon level three!" (1200/900) A short black dragon appeared on the field in a crouching position.

Richard snickered and held up a card he had removed from his deck. "When Polar Beast-South destroys a monster on the field, it special summons Polar Beast-North (1500/1000) to the field!" A blue mechanical beast appeared on the field. "Blast the dragon!" It opened its jaws and struck the dragon with a shockwave of magnetic force that blew it apart. "Also, I set three cards face-down. End turn."

Adriel drew. "I'm not done yet! Go Luster Dragon!" (1900/1600) A sapphire-covered dragon appeared on the field. "Go double Stamping Destruction!" Two magic cards appeared on his field. "Now I destroy two magic or trap cards in play and deal you 1000 life points of damage!"

Richard pointed at one of the targeted cards. "Activate Rise to Heaven! This trap card works only if I have two or more light monsters in play. Now I sacrifice these two monsters and normal summon a light monster from my deck that requires two sacrifices!" Both Polar Beasts disappeared. "Since I have no such monster, I choose to summon a single sacrifice! Go Divine Agent-Void Dragon!" (2000/1500) A black mechanical dragon appeared on the field and roared at the Luster Dragon.

Richard- 3000

Adriel- 4000

Adriel looked at his hand. "I set one card face-down. End turn."

Richard drew…and smiled. "I love good timing! Reveal face-down trap card! Go Rise of Divinity! This card lets me take two light monsters from my graveyard and add them to my hand." He held up the two Polar Beasts. "Now I play the field magic card Fusion Gate! By removing these two retrieved monsters I can special summon Polar Dragon!" (2000/3000) A huge metal dragon appeared on the field and roared at the Luster Dragon. "This duel is getting close to done already."

Adriel smiled slightly. "You're not even close to right."

"Go Void Dragon!" The metal dragon sprayed the Luster Dragon with a strange white dust and it faded away. "When this monster destroys a monster that monster is removed from the game!"

Richard- 3000

Adriel- 3900

Adriel pointed at his set card. "Reveal Dragon's Never-ending Hatred! This card lets me discard a card from my hand when a dragon is destroyed as a result of battle to special summon a dragon from my graveyard!" He discarded a card and his Masked Dragon reappeared on the field in a crouching position.

Richard pointed at the dragon. "Polar Dragon, destroy it!" The metal monster blew the red and white dragon away with a single blast of energy. "End turn."

Adriel caught a card spat out of his deck. "When destroyed I use Masked Dragon's effect to special summon Doom Dragon Level Three!" Another small black dragon appeared on the field. "I draw!" He snapped the top card off of his deck. "During my standby phase Doom Dragon levels up to Five!" (2200/1900) The little dragon grew in size, now towering over the other two monsters.

"Now I play Dragon's Stash. This card can only activate if I have at least three dragons in the graveyard and one dragon in play. Now I draw two cards." He drew twice. "Doom Dragon, attack Polar Dragon! Doom Spikes!" A storm of needles exploded out of the dragon's body and pummeled the dragon mercilessly, blowing it apart.

Richard- 2800

Adriel- 3900

Adriel held up another card. "Now I activate Stamping Destruction number three!" Fusion Gate was spat out of Richard's disk. "Also, I set a monster face-down and a card face-down. End turn."

Richard- 2300

Adriel- 3900

Richard quickly recovered from the shock and drew. "First I play Heavy Storm!" A burst of wind washed over the set card and blew it apart. "Now I play the magic card Spirit of the Divine Agents! This card destroys one monster on the field!" Doom Dragon roared and exploded. "Go Void Dragon!" The metal dragon sprayed the set monster with white dust and it faded away. "End turn."

Adriel drew. ("No cards in play…and this is my only chance.") "One card face-down. End turn."

Ichigo frowned as he watched the two duelists attack each other furiously. ("Richard is still as tough as I remember him. Adriel…be careful.")

Richard drew. "Go Void Dragon!" The dragon opened its jaws to attack.

"Reveal Bahamut's Command! All monsters with Dragon in their title cannot attack during this turn!" Adriel wiped a single drop of sweat away as the Void Dragon stopped and closed its jaws.

Richard set a monster onto his disk. "One monster face-down and I end my turn."

Adriel drew. "I play Pot of Greed!" He drew twice. "Now I summon Twin-Headed Behemoth (1500/1200) in attack mode!" A twin-headed dragon appeared on the field. "Also, I equip it with Dragon's Life Force! This card can only be used on a dragon monster. That creature gains 700 attack points and when it destroys a monster as a result of battle one dragon monster from my graveyard with 1500 or less attack points will be special summoned!" (2200/1200) The Twin-Headed Behemoth released two bursts of fire that blew the Void Dragon away. And the red and white form of a Masked Dragon appeared on Adriel's field. "Dragon's Fireball!" The dragon blasted the set card with flame.

Richard- 2300

Adriel- 3500

Richard snickered as a white and golden robot bear was revealed from his face-down card. "Thunder Bear (1300/1800) when flipped up lets me search my deck for a Divine Agent and place it into my hand." He caught a card spat out of his deck and added it to his hand.

Then he drew. "I'm done letting you think that you can win. I sacrifice Thunder Bear for Divine Agent-Master of Ceremony!" (1900/1200) A gold-robed bearded old man appeared on the field. "When this card is sacrifice summoned I take one Divine Agent from my deck and add it to my hand." He held up a card that he had already removed from his deck before-hand. "Divine Agent-Soldier (1600/1500) and the Divine Agent-Betrayer (1350/1700) in my hand…shall now create the mighty leader of it all!"

Adriel blinked in surprise. "The leader of it all?"

Richard held up the last card in his hand besides his two monsters. "I activate Balance Fusion! This card will only work if I have a monster in play. It can fuse two monsters in my hand together to create their fusion with 500 extra attack points!" The two monsters in his hand disappeared. And on his field an armored white-haired man with a scar over one eye appeared on the field. "Divine Agent-Solidus!" (2500/1500) "Attack Twin-Headed Behemoth now!" He leapt forwards and punched the two-headed dragon, blowing it apart.

Richard- 2300

Adriel- 3200

Adriel slid the card into his graveyard and then it was spat right back out. "When destroyed I return Twin-Headed Behemoth once with 1000 attack and defense!" The dragon reappeared on the field in a crouching position, but this time with only one head. (1000/1000)

Richard pointed at the Masked Dragon. "Master of Ceremony! Holy Magic!" Lifting his staff, the old man hummed a few meaningless notes and the dragon exploded.

Richard- 2300

Adriel- 2700

Adriel removed a card from his deck. "I special summon Child of the Grand!" (1000/1000) A small gold-colored dragon hatchling appeared on the field. "Now it's my turn!" He drew. "End turn."

Richard drew. "Divine Agent-Golden Mage!" (900/1400) A gold-robed spellcaster appeared on the field. "Now I attack with Master of Ceremony! Holy Magic!" The spellcaster hummed a few more words and Child of the Grand blew apart.

Adriel caught a card from his deck and threw it down. "When destroyed as a result of battle Child of the Grand lets me special summon Grand Emperor Dragon (2000/2500) from my deck or hand to the field!" The gold and silver dragon of legend appeared on the field in a crouching position.

Richard pointed at the Grand Emperor. "I know what it does! Go Solidus!" The white-haired warrior leapt forward and punched the dragon. It shuddered and blew apart. "Solidus can defeat a monster that has the same defense as he does! And whenever a monster on your field is destroyed Golden Mage gains 200 attack points!" (1300/1400) "Magical Blaster!" The spellcaster lifted its hands and released a beam of energy that hit the crouching Twin-Headed Behemoth and blew it apart. "End turn."

Adriel paled visibly. ("He's like a steam-roller…he just runs over everything in his path!") He drew. "I play Monster Reborn! Return Grand Emperor Dragon to the field in attack mode!" The dragon appeared once more and hissed, the sound like crystals falling on top of each other. "Also, I summon Dragon Nursemaid!" (1500/1200) A dragon colored soothing shades of blue and pink appeared on the field. "When a dragon is summoned, Grand Emperor Dragon gains 500 attack points!" (2500/2500)

"Solar Stream!" The Grand Emperor Dragon roared and blasted the Master of Ceremony away with a burst of solar energy. "Nursemaid, attack Golden Mage now!" The dragon shot a big pink heart out of its mouth that hit the Golden Mage and blew it apart. "When it destroys a monster as a result of battle I add one dragon from my graveyard or deck with 1000 or less attack points from to my hand!" He held up Pitch-Dark Dragon, which he had removed from his deck. (900/600) "End turn."

Richard- 1500

Adriel- 2700

Richard drew. "Keep struggling, but it will do no good. How can you beat the true rival of the one who has beaten you so many times? Go Divine Agent-Safety Dragon!" (2400/1200) A red and yellow robot dragon with a red siren on its head appeared on the field. "This monster cannot attack directly or deal life point damage! Attack Dragon Nursemaid!" It opened its jaws and hit the female dragon with a burst of energy that blew it apart. "Now I attack with Solidus!" The leader of the Divine Agents launched forwards and punched the Grand Emperor Dragon right in the snout, blowing it apart. "Since it cannot be destroyed in battle, you're out of luck. End turn."

Adriel barely heard those words. He felt drained already. ("I've pushed myself and my deck to its limits, but to no avail. He just won't fall…")

"I will be the one to destroy Pilkington, and then I will tear his false spies apart one by one and spread the pieces to the wind. No one else with beat me to this goal. So surrender, and go home knowing that you can never defeat me." Richard's voice was even, and not in the slightest way mocking.

Adriel growled and stood up. "The only one who will defeat Ichigo Pilkington is me! It's my turn now draw!" He snapped the top card off of his deck. "I activate Portal to the realm of the Lord of Judgment!" He slid Pitch-Dark Dragon into his graveyard. "Now I special summon one dragon from my deck to the field! Go Drill Dragon!" (2600/1000) An orange dragon with drills all over its body appeared on the field.

Richard stepped back slightly. "So what?"

Adriel pointed at Solidus. "Attack now! Drill Bit Charge!" All of the drills on the dragons body spun to life and it brought all of the weapons down on Solidus, but to no avail. The warrior lifted his armored forearms and blocked the attacks. Sparks sprayed down across the room from the friction of the two nearly unbreakable substances hitting each other.

Richard sneered. "Solidus cannot lose!"

Adriel pointed at the Drill Dragon. "You've lost. Drill Dragon's special ability activates if it fails in its attack. All damage that might be caused from that attack is now zero…and it attacks again, but this time it attacks directly!" The drills along the dragon's body exploded outwards and slammed down around Richard, exploding like bombs.

Richard-0

Adriel- 2700

Richard shuddered and fell to his knees. "Damn…you…Pilkington is mine…"

Adriel narrowed his eyes. "No. He is mine." Turning, the half dragon demon motioned to the elevator, which was now open. "Eri…Ichigo…go."

Eri nodded and followed Ichigo as they stepped onto the elevator.

Ichigo closed his eyes. ("There's no coming back from this…it's all or nothing. Vincent, I'm coming for you!")

_To be continued…_

To G.O.T. Nick: As that is left is Vincent and Nevan. And of course the Principal will most likely need to be dealt with.

To Gryphinwyrm7: I'm sure he'll be glad to know that.

To Grisham: Yes they were.

To falcon demon general: It isn't writers block. I just didn't feel well.

To Just a Dude: He's….used that combo twice so far. Once against Davis and once against Hitokage.

To Seeker of the Soul: Who knows, this might just be a short arc. After all, the KC Grand Prix arc isn't anything world-threatening, just a tournament. And it was still plenty fun.

To Raine: Not a problem. I'm hard to offend unless you say something without explaining the why behind it.

To john: Okay…..you're the only reviewer I ever have felt the need to yell at. You've said a lot of unintelligent things during this meet….and this one just broke it for me. No. Alfred has one Tiny Pound Hammer in his whole deck. It shuffles itself back into his deck when used…so he getting the same card….

To Bobbomp: Flags up indeed.

To Anime Albino: How about we assume that we both were being sarcastic in our next posts and leave it at that.

To Erestor Telemnar: Have you ever tried running an XYZ deck? It's hard enough getting all three pieces onto the field and keeping them there long enough. Now imagine having ten different cards that fuse together….and try making that into a playable deck. And considering that Kenshin's knights are speed attackers, he didn't stand much of a chance. However, he is better than he appeared in that duel.

To Void Templar: Thank you.

To Dais: You spelled it right. And no, just R-Z.

To Rex: Okay, it isn't worth arguing over.

To Neo Arkadia: Thank you for saying that the Hero vs. Evil duel was good. I very much liked it because I like both decks so much.

To Adriel: Hey, you never know.


	15. Cat Fight

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Rival School Arc

Chapter 15: Cat Fight

The elevator opened to a large torch-lined stone chamber. In the center of the large room there was a stone platform arena. And standing in the middle of it was Nevan, looking the same as she had before. Excluding of course he new demon parts. "I've been waiting for you. This time I'll simply kill you."

Eri stepped forwards slowly, he hands trembling. ("Can I do this…")

Ichigo placed a hand on Eri's shoulder. "She's a fake. You're the true cold-hearted bitch."

"Thanks, ass." Eri glared back at him…and then realized that he was smiling. ("He thinks this is all fun and games….")

Ichigo patted her on the shoulder again and held a card out to her. "A little good luck token."

Eri held the card up…and blinked at it. "It's blank?"

"It was Cyber Shadow-Moonblade." Ichigo tapped the side of his forehead. "If our Seals are in tune…then you should be able to use it well."

Eri slid the card into her deck and looked up at Nevan.

Nevan smirked and motioned with her hand for Eri to come. "Come here…and meet your maker dog."

Eri stepped onto the arena and took her place. "Let's begin. I want my demon blood back."

Nevan- 4000

Eri- 4000

Nevan snapped her fingers. "It's time for the darkness to fall!" All around them the light was sucked out of the room as a cloud of blackness fell over the arena.

Eri shivered as cold ran down her legs. ("The air is so heavy…")

Nevan drew. "I'll begin at a slow pace, since this is the first time you've ever experienced a darkness game as a human." She placed a card onto her disk. "Just a monster in defense mode and that is it. End turn."

Eri drew slowly, a cold weight in her stomach. ("Fear…why must I experience fear?") "I place a monster face-down and end my turn."

Nevan drew. "I'll play a magic card. Tribute to the Doomed lets me discard one card from my hand to destroy a monster in play." Mummy wrappings flew out of the ground and swallowed Eri's set monster. "And now that you are defenseless….I attack! Go Master Kyonshee!" (1700/1000) An undead monk with an ofuda over its face appeared on the field. "Now I reveal my face-down Spirit Reaper!" Her face-down card shimmered up and turned into a purple-robed reaper. (300/200) "Direct attack!" Kyonshee flipped through the air and punched Eri right in the gut.

The ex-demoness fell to her knees and gasped in pain, clutching at her now badly bruised gut.

Nevan- 4000

Eri- 2300

"Now I attack you directly with Spirit Reaper!" The reaper slashed its scythe across Eri's chest, blood spraying out of the huge wound left in her. "And when my reaper damages you lose a random card from your hand!" One card from Eri's hand disappeared. "End turn."

Nevan- 4000

Eri- 2000

Eri cried out in pain, and somehow found the strength to draw. "I'm…not beaten yet!" She stumbled to her feet, blood staining the lower part of her shirt. "I play the continuous magic card Lurking Shadow! This card, while in play, takes any cards that are discarded from my hand and returns them to my hand after being discarded! Also, I play Soul Exchange!" Master Kyonshee disappeared. "I sacrifice Master Kyonshee to set one monster face-down on the field. End turn."

Nevan drew. "This is your end already! I play another Tribute to the Doomed!" She discarded another hand card and mummy wrapping swallowed up Eri's set monster. "Then I sacrifice Spirit Reaper to summon Vampire Lord!" (2000/1500) The reaper disappeared and was replaced by a pale humanoid who bowed slightly to its prey. "Direct attack!"

Eri grabbed a card that was spat out of her graveyard. "Necromancy Golem (2000/2100) has a special ability that can only be activated from the graveyard! When I use it your attack is negated and your monster destroyed!" She slid the card into her skirt pocket, meaning that it was removed from play. Meanwhile the Vampire Lord exploded into dust.

Nevan slid a card into her duel disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Eri drew. "First I activate Heavy Storm!" A blast of wind shattered her magic card and Nevan's set card. "Then I set one monster card face-down and end my turn."

Nevan drew. "During my standby phase Vampire Lord returns!" The pale humanoid shimmered back onto the field. "Attack the set monster now!" It launched forwards and snapped its cape over the set monster card. The card fluttered apart into dust. "End turn."

Eri drew. "I set a monster face-down. End turn." She winced as pain spiked through her chest.

Nevan drew. "Vampire Lord attacks!" The undead lord waved its hand over the set card, which exploded into dust.

Eri slid the card into her graveyard. "Sanctified Soul (100/100) activates its ability when sent to the graveyard! Now we both draw until we are holding six cards in our hand!" She drew five cards and Nevan drew four.

Nevan's eyes ran over her new hand and she sneered. "You might recognize my next card. I activate Situational Despair!" The card appeared on her field and Eri gulped. "During your turn if you do not attack then I draw one card from my deck for every monster you have in play. Also, I set one card face-down and a monster face-down. End turn."

Eri drew slowly, her eyes narrowed. "You think to use my own strategy against me?" She placed a card onto her disk. "I set a monster face-down and end my turn."

Nevan drew. "Now I draw…"

"Hold it!" A blast of purple energy flew out of a card in Eri's hand and hit Situational Despair, blowing it apart. "I discard Fear of Greed (250/350) from my hand to the graveyard to negate an effect that would let you draw cards and destroy the card that is causing this effect."

Nevan growled and bared her fangs. "Vampire Lord, show her the error of her ways!" The undead lord lifted its hand and the face-down exploded.

Eri shuffled the card into her deck. "Bone Sorcerer (450/600) has a special ability that lets me shuffle it into my deck when it is destroyed as a result of battle. Then I draw cards off of my deck until I come to a monster. That monster is special summoned to my field, but it cannot attack as long as it is in play." She picked up the top card of her deck and threw it down. "Go Bone Grunt!" (1200/200) A bone-armored warrior appeared on the field in a crouching position.

Nevan snarled louder. "End turn!"

Eri drew. "I play Dark Magic Scrying! Now I shuffle my hand into my deck and draw magic cards until I have the same number!" She shuffled her hand into her deck and drew until she had five magic cards in hand. "Now I activate the magic card Vase of Charity!" A silver ornate vase appeared on her field. "This card lets me draw four cards and then I must discard two!" She snapped four cards off of her deck and then discarded two from her hand. "Now go Mystical Space Typhoon!" A blast of wind shattered Nevan's set card.

The current demoness clenched her fist angrily. "You little insect…"

Eri slid a card into her disk. "I activate Tribe Persecution! This card lets me name a monster type in play. All monsters of that type will now be destroyed! Undead!" Both Bone Grunt and Vampire Lord exploded into dust. "And when Bone Grunt is destroyed I take a Bone Sorcerer from my deck and add it to my hand." She replaced the card she had just used with her new one. "Now to make sure that your monster doesn't come back! I activate Grave Shield!" A bone padlock appeared over Nevan's graveyard. "This card prevents you activating cards from your graveyard at the cost of 300 life points to me each turn. I also set a card face-down and one monster face-down. End turn."

Nevan drew. "Fine, so what if I can't use Vampire Lord? I still have this…" She held up a card. "Apocalypse Comes! This magic card lets me special summon all zombies in my hand to the field, though their effects are now sealed! Come out now Despair From the Dark, Dark Dust Spirit, and Regenerating Mummy!" (2800/3000) (2200/1800) (1800/1500) The first monster was so huge that the only thing that could be seen was its hands. Second was a mottled corpse covered in spikes and radiating decay. Third was a mummy which was surrounded by an aura of blue energy.

"Finally…I play the continuous magic card Trap Stasis. As long as this card is in play whenever a trap card activates it freezes on the field, leaving its effect trapped it a permanent state of inactivation."

Eri glared. That meant her traps were useless.

Nevan pointed at the set monster. "Regenerating Mummy!" The smallest undead monster floated across the field and slammed its fist through the set card, blowing it instantly apart.

Eri held up Bone Sorcerer and shuffled it into her deck. Three cards later she threw another Bone Sorcerer.

Nevan pointed at it. "Dark Dust Spirit!" The next undead slashed through the spellcaster.

Eri repeated the process and got Bone Sorcerer once more.

Nevan trembled in complete rage. "Damn you! Go Despair from the Dark!" The huge claw dropped onto the monster and blew it apart.

Eri shuffled the card in again and drew it from the top, placing it down.

Nevan took a deep breath. "You can't escape forever. End turn."

Nevan- 4000

Eri- 1700

Eri slowly drew. "I summon Tribute Bird!" (700/1400) A bird statue made of gold and silver appeared on the field. "This monster is a level three, but by discarding a card from my hand I can double its level stars." She slid a card from her hand into the graveyard. "So now's it a six! Activate Death Ritual of Lithmus!" A huge black-grey spire lifted into the air. "This card requires that I sacrifice eight level stars of monsters! So I give up Tribute Bird and Bone Sorcerer!" Both monsters disappeared. "Come out now, Swordsman of Death Lithmus!" (0/0) "Reveal face-down card, Dark Spirit of the Silent!" Her card flipped up and froze in place. "Because there is a trap card face-up on the field Lithmus now has 3000 attack and defense points!" (3000/3000) The white-clothed swordsman drew its sword and leapt forward, slashing through the Despair from the Dark. "End turn!"

Nevan- 3800

Eri- 1700

Nevan drew. "This is too perfect. I activate the magic card Clean Slate. Now I name a card type and all face-up cards of that type are destroyed. Trap." The frozen Dark Spirit of the Silent trap card shattered. "I cannot attack during the turn that my card is activated, but it doesn't matter. Now Lithmus has no attack points." (0/0)

Eri dropped to her knees. There wasn't a single card in her deck that possessed the power to turn this around now. ("What could Luna or Lumina do for me…I don't have an answer.")

"That's been your problem since day one. You never had a deck. All you had was a random gathering of cards with no purpose. Prepare to lose." Nevan stepped forward and cracked her knuckles. "Erika Amero…your blood is better with me. So let me bury you here, and then you can avoid ever showing your failure to your father." She sneered. "He'd probably kill you if he found out how you had lost that which he prides so much."

Eri closed her eyes, the pain from her previous blows overwhelming. ("Could she be right? Is that all I am…to father? To myself? Nothing more than a demon…nothing more than blood. And without that blood…") Tears started to form at the corners of her eyes. ("I'm nothing…")

* * *

_"HAAA!" Eri snapped her foot out, only to have Rikuo casually catch it and fling her aside. _

_"You're telegraphing every single move to me." The wolf demon turned to face her, his ki not showing the slightest bit of sweat. "Perhaps this is too hard for you?" _

_"NO!" Eri leapt up, her clothing stuck to her from all of the sweat she had expelled.

* * *

_

_Crying out in pain, Eri dropped to her butt and clutched at her stomach. "Damn it…" _

_Rikuo rolled his eyes and tapped his foot against the hardwood floor of the room. "Would you like me to go easier on you?" _

_Eri's only response was to snarl and leap at him…and his response was to calmly slam his fist right into her stomach again.

* * *

"I am…" Eri tried to stand up. She tried to reinforce what was left of her pride. But in the end pain won out, and she fell to her knees again._

"You are nothing. You are nothing to anyone, your father especially." Nevan unhooked her whip from her side and cracked it a couple of times. "You are nothing to me. Nothing more than the loser I got my new demon blood from. Don't worry, I'll put it to good use though, unlike you."

* * *

"Ah! This is the life!" Rikuo Amero stretched out across the beach chair and looked out at the ocean. "I never knew that Hawaii was such a nice place." He readjusted his sunglasses and yawned.

After he had defeated Rykiel and regained his age, the wolf demon had taken a much needed vacation. And now he was enjoying the warmth of the sun on his bare skin.

("I wonder what Eri is doing right now.") Stretching again, Rikuo glanced to his side and made sure his deck box was right on the stand next to him. "I won't let you out of my sight again." He closed his eyes….and slowly drifted into sleep.

* * *

Eri tried to stand up again, only to crash to the ground because of the burning pain in her ribs. "I…."

Nevan cracked the whip once more. "You are nothing to me. Stupid foolish bitch." The new demoness motioned to Lithmus, who stood kneeling on the field. "You and that monster have a lot in common actually. He needs a trap in play to be a threat, just like you need your demon blood in your body to be a threat to me. And just like him I'll be sending you to the graveyard very shortly."

Eri clenched her fist tighter. "I…"

* * *

While Rikuo snoozed, a single mote of light came out of his deck box and blew away like a rocket.

* * *

"I…am….Erika…Amero…" Eri stood up, her eyes locked onto Nevan's.

"What?" Nevan frowned. "Stay down…"

"I am…the night…" She got to her knees.

"I said stay down!"

"I am the hunter…" She stood up slowly.

Nevan snapped the whip out, leaving a bloody gash across Eri's cheek. "STAY DOWN, HUMAN!"

"I am more than blood. I am more than a demon." Eri stood up fully. "I am love…anger…fear…envy…happiness…." She placed her hand on the top card of her deck. "…truth…lies….friendship…rival…"

Nevan growled deeper. "You're nothing! I am the true demoness!"

"No." Eri narrowed her eyes. "I am!" She pulled with every remaining ounce of her strength, the card seeming to cling for a few moments before coming free. Eri held the card up to her right eye…

Nevan stepped back, her demon senses detecting something….it was like a power so strong that she could barely realize it was approaching.

"This is…" Eri held the card out. "Hope of Faith!" Light slammed down onto the field, blowing away the darkness and leaving both duelists standing in the arena again.

Ichigo blinked in surprise. "The darkness game is gone?"

"Hope…of Faith…" Nevan stumbled backwards.

Eri held her hand out at Lithmus. "This card requires that I sacrifice one monster from my field!" The Swordsman blew apart into dust. A pillar of red light fell down onto the field, and then it split into a white column and a black column. From within both columns a lone form lowered onto the field.

The first form revealed was a humanoid in black armor. It held a sword at its side and as light filtered onto its face, Eri gasped in surprise. "I am Yami Knight!" (6000/0) It struck a pose and held its sword out in front of it.

"Father…" Eri stared at Yami Knight…

The second form that lowered onto the field was a knight it white armor. In one hand it held a large golden shield. "I am Hikari Knight!" (0/6000) It struck a pose alongside the other, and then they both went back to back and pointed at Nevan. "Prepare to lose!" They yelled in unison.

"Dad?" Ichigo stared at Hikari Knight.

"6000 attack points?" Nevan gasped. Pain ran through her body as she felt her ears and eyes change back to normal.

Yami Knight glanced back at Eri. "Daughter of the worthy Rikuo Amero…." He and his brother bowed their heads.

Eri, her demon blood restored, pointed at Dark Spirit of the Silent. "Yami Knight, attack with Blade of Darkness!"

The zombie actually tried to defend itself right before it was cut in half, the pieces fading into dust.

Nevan- 0

Eri- 1400

Nevan dropped to her knees. "I lost…" She slammed her fists into the stone floor.

Eri held up the now blank card. She tossed it to Ichigo, right as an elevator rose up from the center of the arena. "That's your ride. Go get him Pilkington."

Ichigo caught the card and inserted it into his disk. "Don't worry, I will." He nodded to Hikari and Yami Knight right before he stepped into the elevator and descended into darkness.

_To be continued…_

To Adriel: It might be. It might just be.

To Seeker of the Soul: That's a shame. I personally think that was a cool arc.

To G.O.T. Nick: OO Huh? Your logic in the second sentence confuses me.

To Erestor: You can assume he stayed behind with the rest of them.

To Neo Arkadi: They're not dueling at North School. They're dueling at the Asylum. When the meet is held both schools meet in neutral territory.

To Bobbomp: I suppose you think right.

To Anime Albino: Yup, I was.

To Raine: I wasn't going to use your character because you currently are writing a story based in my universe with that same character in it. I won't step on anyone's toes by making their characters do things that they didn't want to have happen.

To Dais: Nice one.


	16. Battle of the Siblings

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Rival School Arc

Chapter 16: Battle of the Siblings

Ichigo fanned his deck out in front of him, eyes scanning over each card with an appraising eye. ("The Cyber Shadows…my deck. These are each just as much my friends as Griff, Krieger, Kenshin, Adriel, Hitokage and Eri.")

Closing his eyes, he felt the spirits of each of his monsters standing alongside him. ("Vincent…I don't know how you are stronger than I am when I use the Dark Halo…but in the dueling field I will win. I'll bet my life on it.")

_("Ichigo.")_

("Yes Ahran?")

_("I've figured it out.")_ Memories from something that Ahran had once learned about came into Ichigo's mind rapidly.

("So that's it…") Ichigo smiled slightly. ("Alright, so no Dark Halo against this guy.") He looked down at his Duel Arm, its surface polished and repaired after the beating he had put it through just a few nights ago. ("My heart is pounding.") A stupidly happy grin came across his face. ("This is gonna be great!")

The elevator doors slowly opened, showing Ichigo nothing but darkness. His eyes immediately adjusted and he began his trek down what seemed like an endlessly long tunnel. Finally he saw some light, and was immensely relieved that he could see clearly now.

What he saw confused him though. A huge stone door stood in front of him, and along its surface something was sketched. It was the outline of a warrior wearing the armor of a samurai. And in its hand the outline held a sword. The outline for the sword was made in platinum, and was lit with a phantom flame. ("What is this place?")

_("I…I've been here before.")_ Ahran's voice sounded shaken. Very badly shaken.

("What is it?") Ichigo ran his hands along the smooth stone, looking for some kind of switch.

_("It is my father's tomb.")_

He immediately withdrew his hand like it had been burned by the mineral. ("So this is where your father was buried?") "Where are you Vincent?"

In response the door cracked open slowly…and darkness leaked out of the minuscule opening along the middle.

Without the slightest fear in his eyes Ichigo stepped into the inky blackness, feeling the power of the shadows at work in here.

A single haunting sound reached his ears. It was the noise of an organ playing. But something about the sound was perverse. He realized why it sounded perverse as he stepped into what could simply be described as a nightmare.

He was at the edge of an expansive great hall, which reminded him of the castle throne room from his experience as a prince for a short amount of time. The difference was immediately obvious though, because no throne room he had ever heard of was set in this kind of motif. Torture devices of all shapes and sizes lined the walls, and formed a grizzly line-up that was all along the walkway up to where the organ was.

The instrument itself was horrendous, a nightmare in its own right. Instead of metal and wood, it was made of flesh and bone. Different parts of numerous kinds of indescribable creatures made up the pieces of the nightmare organ, and sitting at the bench of the device was a skeleton, tirelessly playing its unholy song through the keys.

And standing at the foot of the steps that led up to the organ was Vincent. His red-black hair and eyes seemed to drink in the shadows around them. The back of his coat sat still around the back of his legs, and around his arm was a duel disk that was colored black and silver. "You've come to face your end, I see." Snapping his fingers, the skeleton stopped playing.

"I've come to settle this right now." Ichigo's Duel Arm beeped as it shifted into duel mode.

Vincent's hand motioned to their 'audience'. Each of the machines sat silent and dead. "This place is the last place my father was seen alive. Video cameras recorded your father killing him in a darkness game."

Ichigo's eyes widened. "Tha…that's a lie. My father would never kill anyone."

"It happened about twenty years ago. My father, Giovan Garlin, held a tournament called the Shadow Tournament. Your father, after tying with Yugi Moto, came down to my father's private sanctum to participate in a special game. In the end, my father was defeated and his soul was destroyed." He spoke evenly, not the slightest emotion betrayed. "Do you understand what it was like growing up knowing that the man that killed your father was nothing more than a teenager?"

"My father didn't kill anyone!" Ichigo clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Vincent coldly snapped his fingers, the hellish cacophony of noise filling the air once more. "Daniel Pilkington murdered my father. It has been my motto for the longest time. But now, all of it will change."

"All of it will…change?" Ichigo's anger subsided. "What do you mean?"

Vincent yelled out to the 'audience'. "We will let this battle determine who is the strongest!" His life point counter flickered to 4000. "And when all is said and done, one of us will not be leaving this chamber alive! So pick up your sword, Ichigo Pilkington! It's time to see what destiny holds!"

Ichigo stood straight, his hazel eyes flickering in the shadow of the chamber. "Vincent, I will defeat you!" His life point counter flickered to life. "Now's the time for me to pay you back for hurting Eri!"

"Pay me back for hurting her?" Vincent snapped his fingers and the organ stopped once more. "I know in what context you mean that…but it won't be happening."

They stood across from each other, like a pair of gunslingers waiting for the moment to draw their guns. And then at once they pulled their five card hand off of their deck. "Duel!"

* * *

Daniel closed his eyes and frowned as he remembered his last words to Giovan Garlin. ("Good-bye Giovan Garlin, and may you find peace in oblivion.") He had eliminated Garlin from his soul…yet they had battled on fair terms when he had done so. ("Vincent couldn't know that though.")

In front of everyone in the lobby a huge television screen held over the area of the elevator door. It was showing them everything that was happening in the chamber at this moment.

Richard narrowed his eyes up at the screen. "Just in case any of you are wondering, this is being fed to the whole world." He closed his eyes. ("Ichigo…you had best win.")

The Principal of North School sat in a chair on the balcony of the lobby, watching the screen with a slight smile on his face. ("Destroy him, Vincent. Destroy him and show the whole world that the family name of Garlin never lets its enemies escape.")

* * *

Vincent drew first. "I'm first. Draw." He inserted the card into his hand and placed a different one down. "I set a monster on the field in defense. End turn." The card shimmered into existence in front of him.

Ichigo drew. "I set a monster too. End turn." His own card shimmered into existence in front of him.

Vincent drew. "It's time to reveal my deck. I flip up Torture Villain-Juicer!" (1000/1900) A huge humanoid creature with muscles bulging all over its frame appeared in play. Over its face was a heavy steel mask, and on its back was an enormous metal version of the kind of hammer used to tenderize meat.

"Torture Villain?" Ichigo looked a bit taken aback at the sight of the monster. ("It kind of looks like Strongarm…weird….")

Vincent darkly smiled. "So you don't know, do you?"

"What?" Ichigo frowned and glanced at his set monster. He knew that as long as it was in play he was safe.

Vincent closed his eyes. "When the World Tournament ended, Daniel Pilkington requested that a special set of cards be printed for his son. Well at that same time, Industrial Illusions decided to create four other sets of rare cards. Each one is warrior based. First there were the Cyber Shadows for you…and along with it came four others. Two of the sets faded out of existence, while Divine Agents found their way to your cousin Richard, and the Torture Villains found their way to me."

He pointed at Torture Villain-Juicer. "When flipped up this monster flips a face-up monster on the field into face-down defense mode. If it cannot because there are none, then it instead removes a set card on the field from play!" The giant monster removed the meat tenderizer from its back and leapt across the field with a roar, slamming the weapon down and shattering the set monster.

Ichigo paled and slid the removed card into his coat pocket.

Vincent threw another card down. "Now I summon Torture Villain-Incinerator!" (1700/1200) An explosion of flame erupted from his field. "To summon this monster I must discard one card from my hand." He calmly slid a card out of his hand and slid it into his graveyard. The fire coalesced into a humanoid wearing a costume that was part red and part black. Its right arm was a warped piece of metal and flesh that resembled a flamethrower. "Attack now!" It lifted its arm and the pilot light of its light came to life. There was a loud click noise and flame launched outwards to wash over the defenseless Ichigo.

Ichigo had expected to feel extreme heat, but instead what he felt was that he was literally on fire. Falling to his knees, he screamed in complete and utter pain as he felt the chemical flames stick to his skin and burn deep marks into him.

Vincent- 4000

Ichigo- 2300

As the flames subsided, Ichigo groaned and somehow made it to his feet. ("If I was anything else other than a demon…that would have killed me.")

"Understand now?" Vincent pointed at his opponent. "In this darkness game the battle is real! Go now Juicer!" The huge titan leapt forwards and trapped the half demon in a bear-hug.

Ichigo screamed again as he felt his ribs all bend in the iron-like vice grip of the monster.

Vincent- 4000

Ichigo- 1300

Vincent slid a card into his disk. "I set a card face-down and end my turn." The card shimmered into existence between him and his monsters. "What's wrong, can't you take the pain?"

Ichigo slowly stumbled to his first….and shook himself off like a dog shaking water from its pelt. "Wow! That was intense!" Grinning, Ichigo drew. "One monster face-down and three cards face-down on the field. End turn."

Vincent drew. "You can't pull together a counter-attack hmm? That's too bad." He pointed at the set card. "Incinerator, unleash your flames upon his defender!" The monster warrior lifted its arm and released a spray of flames that slammed into the set card. "And Incinerator's special ability is that when it destroys a monster as a result of battle you take the destroyed monster's attack in damage."

Ichigo rubbed his index finger under his nose. "What destroyed monster?" His monster revealed itself, and it was a man holding a heavy riot shield in front of him. "Cyber Shadow-Shield Bearer (500/2400) has enough defense points to stand against your monster."

Vincent- 3300

Ichigo- 1300

Vincent narrowed his eyes. "Reveal face-down card!" Lightning arched out of the set card and struck the shield-bearing monster, causing it to scream in pain.

Ichigo screamed as well as the lightning arched from his monster right into him.

"Torture Thunder drains 1500 points from the points of whatever mode the targeted face-up monster is! That means that your monster is weak enough to be destroyed." (500/900) The dark-haired boy pointed at the smoking Ichigo and Shield Bearer. "Attack Juicer!" Howling a battle cry, the giant warrior leapt forward and slammed its meat tenderizer down onto the defender. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Ichigo dropped face-first to the ground. ("This is starting to hurt.") Slowly, he lifted his head and drew. His vision blurred for a few moments, and then came back into focus. ("This might work…") "I reveal Mirage of Nightmare!" One of his face-down cards flipped up. "Also, I play Monster Reborn on Cyber Shadow-Shield Bearer!" The monster reappeared on the field in a flash of light. "Now I play Fusion Gate! As long as this card is in play I can fuse monsters together without Polymerization!" He removed Shield Bearer from its space and held it up with his other card. "I fuse Cyber Shadow-Shield Bearer and Cyber Shadow-Soldier (1600/1600) together to create Cyber Shadow-Ballistic Shield!" (1600/2500) The monster that appeared on his field was a man wearing all different sorts of explosives over its body. In one arm it held up a heavy machine gun. "I summon my monster in defense mode and use its effect! Once per turn I can destroy one monster in play as long as this monster is in defense mode and the targeted monster has the same amount of attack or less than it!" Lifting the weapon, the warrior sprayed Juicer with bullets, blowing it apart instantly. "End turn!"

Vincent drew.

Ichigo pointed at Mirage of Nightmare. "During your standby phase I draw until I have four cards in my hand!" He snapped the top four cards off of his deck.

Vincent snarled and looked his drawn card. "Just because I don't have a monster capable of getting to your life points doesn't meant that I'm beaten. Go Torture Villain-Asphyxiator (800/800) in defense mode!" A humanoid covered from head to toe in black leather appeared on the field in a crouching position. "When summoned this monster drains 700 life points when its target!" Lifting its hand, the warrior made a choking motion.

Ichigo grabbed at his throat and gasped for air. ("Can't….breathe….")

Vincent- 3300

Ichigo- 600

Vincent slid a card into his disk. "I set a card face-down and end my turn."

Ichigo stumbled, his vision fading in and out. "Reverse card open…" One of his two face-down cards flipped up. "Emergency Provisions lets me sacrifice magic and trap cards in play to gain 1000 life points per card. So I sacrifice Mirage of Nightmare and my face-down Electrical Re-animators!" Both cards disappeared.

Vincent- 3300

Ichigo- 2600

Ichigo drew. "I'm…not done yet. From my hand I play the continuous magic card Dimensional Junk Collector. During each of my standby phases I pick up one monster from my removed from play pile."

Then he threw a card onto his disk. "Go Cyber Shadow-Blademaster!" (2000/1600) A warrior holding a laser sword in each hand appeared on the field. "Attack Incinerator!" It leapt across the field and slashed down the Torture Villain.

Vincent- 3000

Ichigo- 2600

Vincent pointed at one of his set cards. "Reveal Spine Splitter!" A metal crab-like robot leapt up and attached to Blademaster's back. "This card activates when a monster on my field is destroyed as a result of battle. It equips to one monster on my opponent's field and cuts its attack in half." (1000/1600)

Ichigo pointed at Asphyxiator. "Ballistic Shield's special ability destroys your monster!" The warrior lifted the gun and unloaded its whole magazine into the monster, blowing it apart. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Vincent drew. "You think you are tough because your fusion monster is in play?" He slid a card into his disk. "I activate Premature Burial! At the cost of 800 life points I revive one monster from my graveyard!" He grasped a card from his graveyard and threw it down. "Return Incinerator!" The red and black warrior returned. "Destroy Blademaster!" It lifted its flame-thrower arm and sprayed the spy, instantly burning it to ash. "And when a monster is destroyed as a result of battle with Incinerator you lose its attack points in life points!"

Ichigo screamed as flames washed over him for what seemed like an eternity. Finally he found relief as it faded.

Vincent- 2200

Ichigo- 900

Vincent pointed at his set card. "Go Torture Revival. This trap card revives one Torture Villain in my graveyard. Return Torture Villain- Asphyxiator!" The leather-covered monster appeared on the field and lifted its hand towards Ichigo. "Now feel the pain!"

Ichigo grabbed his neck again as he felt the air being pulled out of his lungs.

Vincent- 2200

Ichigo- 200

Vincent pointed at his two monsters. "Now feel the power of fusion! I use Fusion Gate to combine these two monsters together!" Both creatures disappeared and were replaced by a leather-covered demon-like creature that stood on the field impassively, its eyes watching Ichigo with a dark pleasure evident in them. "Torture Villain-Pyro Chokeman!" (2200/1800) "Then I play Heavy Storm! You won't be using Fusion Gate to buy your way out of this one!" A wind storm gathered on the field and shattered Ichigo's field card, his continuous card, and his set card. "Then I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Ichigo held up his hand, still gasping for air. "Reveal…quickplay magic card…" Fusion Gate and Dimensional Junk Collector appeared on the field. "Destruction Distraction negates one effect that tries to destroy magic or trap cards…" He fell into a fit of coughing.

Vincent didn't show the slightest smile at the pain he saw. "End turn."

Ichigo slowly drew. ("This might work.") "I pick up Cyber Shadow-Soldier from my removed from play pile." He took the card out of his coat pocket and added it to his hand. "I won't give up that easily! Activate Cyber Shadow Mainframe! As long as this continuous magic card is in play all Cyber Shadows will gain 500 attack points!" He threw another card down and a black-clothed warrior holding a toothed sword appeared on the field. "Cyber Shadow-Berserker (2400/1200) attacks Pyro Chokeman!" The warrior leapt forwards and slammed its weapon into the Torture Villain, but nothing happened.

Vincent- 2000

Ichigo- 200

Vincent pointed at his set card, which was now facing up. "The power of Villain's Will protected my monster. If I have one or less cards in my hand and only one monster in play, then if it is a Torture Villain I can make it impossible to destroy in battle or with monster effects." Pyre Chokeman growled low in its throat and smacked Berserker away.

Ichigo closed his eyes and felt like pounding his fist into the ground. "I will not lose! End turn!"

Vincent drew. "Now I summon Torture Villain-Splicer!" (1500/1000) A nearly naked almost skeletal humanoid holding a huge rusty metal spike appeared in play. "And for every other Torture Villain in play Pyro Chokeman gains 300 attack points." (2500/1800) "Attack Berserker with Pyro Flash!" The demon lifted its hand upwards, and a pillar of lava exploded out of the ground to consume the warrior.

Vincent- 2000

Ichigo- 100

Ichigo threw back his head and screamed in pain as he felt the lava burning his skin. Seconds later he fell to the ground in a twitching mess.

_To be continued…_

To Just a Dude: It was an honest mistake.

To Star: She has been welcomed. And she's glad to be back.

To Grisham: Please excuse my mistake.

To Bobbomp: The World Tour Arc. The third.

To Anime Albino: Nevan isn't dead….

To Erestor: You might not need to worry. Ichigo is getting his ass royally kicked.

To Raine: Nope, not yet.

To G.O.T. Nick: True, but he did prepare his deck for that duel beforehand. Normally his deck wouldn't have so much fusion stoppage.

To Dais: Fervently…..not bad…

To Wolfy: Please use spaces….and not all capitals. Sorry, I'm anal retentive to grammar mistakes.

To Rex: Yup, the two knights only show up when things are going bad.

To Adriel: No. It was just Hope of Faith transferring itself temporarily to Eri. She never drew Luna or Lumina.

To Seeker of the Soul: You like Vincent's deck?


	17. Surviving Torture

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Rival School Arc

Chapter 17: Surviving Torture

_Vincent pointed at his set card, which was now facing up. "The power of Villain's Will protected my monster. If I have one or less cards in my hand and only one monster in play, then if it is a Torture Villain I can make it impossible to destroy in battle or with monster effects." Pyre Chokeman growled low in its throat and smacked Berserker away._

_Ichigo closed his eyes and felt like pounding his fist into the ground. "I will not lose! End turn!"_

_Vincent drew. "Now I summon Torture Villain-Splicer!" (1500/1000) A nearly naked almost skeletal humanoid holding a huge rusty metal spike appeared in play. "And for every other Torture Villain in play Pyro Chokeman gains 300 attack points." (2500/1800) "Attack Berserker with Pyro Flash!" The demon lifted its hand upwards, and a pillar of lava exploded out of the ground to consume the warrior._

_Vincent- 2000_

_Ichigo- 100_

_Ichigo threw back his head and screamed in pain as he felt the lava burning his skin. Seconds later he fell to the ground in a twitching mess._

Vincent closed his eyes. He snapped his fingers and the music continued. "Stand up."

Ichigo slowly rose to his feet, eyes narrowed. "I'm…not…done…yet…"

"You're nearly there though. End turn."

Ichigo drew. "I use the effect of Dimensional Junk Collector to pick up Cyber Shadow-Shield Bearer from my graveyard and add it to my hand. Now I use the effect of Ballistic Shield to destroy Splicer!" The warrior lifted its weapon and pummeled the monster with bullets. Howling, the skeletal warrior exploded. And from the smoke something launched up into the sky and then came crashing down right through Ichigo's stomach. He stared at the huge metal spike in his stomach for a few moments…and then realized blood was spraying out of his open mouth.

"When destroyed by a card effect, Splicer's effect activates. The top five cards of your deck are discarded." Vincent opened his eyes. "Then again, considering your current situation I doubt that is the first thing on your mind. It's a shame really that you will die without being able to finish the duel with me." His lips lifted slightly. "Unless of course you decide to bring out a certain side of yourself…"

Ichigo felt his spine, which had been pierced. And the pain was fading…. ("Can't….pass…out…")

"I guess not." He shook his head slowly. "So be it, then die."

("I…I…can't do…it…") Ichigo's face started to turn a blue pallor. Then thoughts of Eri flashed through his mind. ("I'm sorry Ahran…") He tilted back his head and screamed.

Vincent was nearly thrown back into the organ from the sheer force unleashed by his opponent. ("Incredible…") His expression turned darker and his muscles bulged slightly under his clothing. ("Perfect…like the sweetest wine…ambrosia…")

The spike shuddered and disintegrated into dust. Ichigo's hair shimmered into a shade of night black and his eyes turned the same color. The wound in his stomach sucked close immediately and he lifted his head to meet eyes with the now sneering Vincent. Now his expression reflected the cold rage in his heart. "Vincent, my turn is done." He snapped the top five cards off of his deck and inserted them into his graveyard slot near the shoulder joint.

Vincent double-snapped his fingers, his expression reflecting a flame in his heart. "Then let the party begin!" The organ's tempo changed, and a sound echoed out across the chamber. It was a dangerous sound….it was death metal, coming from speakers located across the room. And the organ played in perfect rhythm with it. He drew. "It's Showtime! I summon Torture Cat (500/300) in defense mode!" A robotic black panther appeared on the field in a crouching position. "Because it is in play Pyro Chokeman gains attack points!" (2500/1800) The demon snarled and held up its claws, flexing them calmly. "End turn!"

Ichigo drew. "I use the effect of Dimensional Junk Collector to pick up Cyber Shadow-Apprentice (200/300) from my graveyard." He looked at the drawn card and then his eyes met Vincent's. "You made a mistake by summoning another monster to the field. Prepare to lose." He pointed at Cyber Shadow Mainframe and it exploded. "I sacrifice this card to special summon two Cyber Shadow monsters to the field!" A burly warrior and the growling form of Berserker appeared on the field. "I special summon Cyber Shadow-Berserker and Cyber Shadow-Strongarm (1900/1300) to the field!" Both monsters slid into fighting positions.

Vincent glanced at his two monsters and then smiled. "Bring it on."

Ichigo pointed at both of his monsters. "Fusion Gate activate!" Both of his monsters yelled out and leap into each other. They disappeared in a flash of light and were replaced by a towering warrior holding a sword in each hand. "Cyber Shadow-Wild Driver!" (2500/1500) He held up another card and threw it down. "Go Cyber Shadow-Soldier!" A medium-built warrior shimmered into play and posed. "Now go Wild Driver, attack Pyro Chokeman!" The huge warrior slammed its swords across the midsection of the Torture Villain and it blew apart. "When Wild Driver battles with a monster that has the same attack points at it then it wins the fight."

Vincent braced himself against the backlash of his monster's death and growled as his Villain's Will card exploded into dust. "Damn you…"

"Go Soldier, attack Torture Cat! Dark Wave!" The other warrior waved its arm in an arc and a blast of energy swept across the field and hit the machine, blowing it apart instantly.

Vincent removed two cards from his graveyard. "When destroyed Torture Cat lets me take back two Torture Villains from my graveyard and one Polymerization card." He held up Torture Villain-Splicer and Torture Villain-Juicer. "I choose to only take these two back."

Ichigo grimaced and placed a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Vincent drew. "It's my turn now…" The sound of the death metal echoing across the room pumped in his blood now. "I fuse Splicer and Juicer together to create Torture Villain-Pierce Bruiser!" (2600/1400) A skeletal giant appeared on the field. In its arms rested a strange contraption that looked like some kind of rocket mixed with a metal spike attached to a metal rod. "Attack Wild Driver and win me this game!"

Ichigo pointed at his face-down card. "Reveal Spirit Barrier!" His face-down card flipped up. "With this card in play I cannot take battle damage as long as I have a monster in play!" The weapon rocketed into the chest of his monster and blew it apart.

Vincent smiled crazily and slid the last card he was holding into his disk. "I set a card face-down. Now come on Ichi-chan, let's see what ya got."

Ichigo snapped the top card off of his deck. "Perfect timing….first I take back Cyber Shadow-Strongarm." He removed a card from his coat pocket and slid it into his hand. "Now I summon Cyber Shadow-Shifter!" (800/1200) A black-clothed ninja appeared on the field and struck a pose. "Then I play the magic card Shifter's Trickery. This card can only activate when Shifter is in play. Now I draw three cards." He slid three cards off of his deck and glanced at all of them. Then he smiled slowly. "Let's try this again!" The air around him become blurry. "I fuse Shifter, Soldier and Trainer together to create Cyber Shadow-Rayden!" (2800/2000) A white-haired warrior in a black body-suit appeared on the field.

Vincent realized that he was about to eat his words.

Ichigo pointed at the monster on his opponent's field. "You know the drill Rayden!" The warrior pulled a sword from out of nowhere and slashed the Torture Villain in half.

Vincent- 3800

Ichigo- 100

Vincent braced himself against the backlash. "You're good…but when you destroyed my monster you made one mistake! Reveal face-down card…"

Ichigo pointed at the set card. "I'm not done yet! Rayden's special ability activates now! When he destroys a monster as a result of battle he also destroys one magic or trap card in play!" The face-down started to flip up and then shattered. "End turn."

Vincent clenched his fists. "For my father…" He drew, and when he looked at the card his dark smile returned. "Go Card of Sanctity! Now I draw until I have six cards in hand, while you get nothing at all!" He snapped six cards off of the top of his deck. "Now try to keep up! I activate Torture Manual! This card lets me add any one card with Torture in its title from my deck to my hand!" He caught a card and sneered as he held it out. "Can you guess what I've got in store for you?"

Ichigo narrowed his eyes. ("As long as Spirit Barrier is in play my life points will survive nearly any damage.")

Vincent threw a card down. "First a guest though! Say hello to Torture Villain-Blood Letter (1500/1500) in attack mode." A multi-armed monster holding a dagger in each hand appeared on the field and cackled at Rayden. "Now comes your end. I play Torture Base!" Fusion Gate disappeared and all around them the chamber came alive, each of the Torture devices now moving. "As long as this card is in play all Torture Villains gain 500 attack and defense points!" (2000/2000) "Also, to access any cards in either graveyard or removed from play pile we both must pay 500 life points. Now Blood Letter, show Rayden hell!" The multi-armed monster started to chant in its deep voice. Energy flowed over the warrior and forced it to its knees. "When this monster declares an attack on one monster on the field the target monster switches modes!"

Ichigo pointed at Rayden. "But my monster had the same stats as yours!"

"So what? When Blood Letter battles with a defense monster it destroys it!" The creature leapt forward and dug its daggers into numerous vital points on the warrior's body. Rayden cried out and blew apart.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes even farther…and an aura of black energy sprang up around him.

Vincent felt his muscles bulge again. ("That's it…keep feeding the fire…") "End turn!"

Ichigo drew. ("I have to keep him away from my life points.") "One monster in defense mode. End turn."

Vincent drew. And the music deepened. "Let's rock!" He threw a card down. "Go Torture Villain-Nightmare!" (1200/1000) A hunched over black shadow appeared on the field. "Go Blood Letter, attack Ballistic Shield!" The monster chanted and the warrior stood up just in time to get a knife in the ribs. "Nightmare, Hell Dreams!" The hunched form moaned and blew the set monster apart.

Ichigo frowned as the backlash hit the pale form of the Spirit Barrier and faded. "When Cyber Shadow-Apprentice is destroyed…"

"…nothing happens!" Vincent pointed at his Nightmare. "While Nightmare is in play all monsters destroyed by Torture Villains get no effects! End turn!"

Ichigo drew. ("This card will work.") "I set a card face-down and summon Cyber Shadow-Sentinel (1500/1300) in attack mode!" A silver-colored robot appeared on the field. "Attack Nightmare!" The machine fired a prismatic blast of light from its eyes that blew the hunched monster apart. "End turn!"

Vincent- 3500

Ichigo- 100

Vincent drew. "Go Blood Letter!" The warrior chanted and Sentinel folded its arms around itself. "Attack now!"

"Oh no you don't!" Ichigo pointed at his set card. "Truce of Opposing Forces will send all monsters in play back to our hands!"

Vincent discarded a card from his hand. "Torture Trainer (1000/1000) can be discarded from my hand to negate any effect as long as I have not summoned during this turn. Also, I cannot summon for the rest of this turn." Truce of Opposing Forces shattered and so did Sentinel as it was slashed apart. "End turn."

Ichigo drew. ("His monster can take apart any monster in my hand. But I have to try to protect myself.") "I set one card face-down and one monster in defense. End turn."

Vincent drew. "Blood Letter will now attack your set monster!" The monster chanted and the shimmered into a monster. It was a bulky silver-colored robot. (0/2200) "Lucky for you that Spirit Barrier keeps you safe." The blades of his monster instantly tore Ichigo's monster apart. "Now I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

Ichigo drew. ("There's nothing in my hand that can help me with this duel. Any effects that involve the graveyard will wipe me out.") "I summon Cyber Shadow-Shield Bearer (500/2400) in defense mode. End turn." A humanoid holding a riot shield in front of it appeared on the field.

Vincent drew. "Your monster is useless!" Blood Letter chanted and when Shield Bearer stood up it leapt across the field and slashed the monster apart. "End turn."

Ichigo drew. "I summon Cyber Shadow-Screamer (350/650) in defense mode and set one card face-down. End turn." A metal box with tiny bug-like legs appeared on his field.

Vincent drew. "I summon Tortured Existence!" (1600/1600) A black cloud appeared on his field. "Attack the little piece of trash!" The cloud released a blast of black lightning that slammed into the machine and shattered it.

Ichigo clenched his fist, feeling this duel slip away from his control. ("He's so powerful…")

Vincent pointed at Ichigo. "It ends here! Blood Letter, extract my payment from his hide!"

"Wait!" Ichigo pointed at one of his set card. "Reveal Emergency Alarm! This trap card triggers when my opponent would land a direct attack! That direct attack is negated and I am allowed to take one monster out of my graveyard and add it to my hand! I choose not to do so."

Vincent snarled. "You're running out of cards…and sooner or later I'll deal the killing stroke! End turn!"

Ichigo looked down at his deck. "Draw." He looked at the drawn card and narrowed his eyes. ("This has a chance…but not yet.") "I summon Cyber Shadow-Strongarm in attack mode!" The burly warrior appeared on his field. "Attack Existence!" It leapt forwards and dissipated the cloud with a few lazy swings. "End turn."

Vincent- 3200

Ichigo- 100

Vincent drew. "I attack with Blood Letter!" Strongarm fell to one knee and was immediately stabbed to death. "Also, I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Ichigo felt the death of every monster…and even with the Dark Halo fueling him he felt drained completely. ("It's…not done…but…") He stumbled to his feet and drew. ("Now's the time to do this.") "I activate the magic card Shadow Fusion! This card lets me draw two cards from my deck for every Polymerization I part with." He held up two of the cards that were key to this deck. "So I discard these two and draw four." Sliding four cards off of his deck, he looked at each one in turn. "I set two cards face-down and play Card of Sanctity." He drew four cards and smiled slightly. "I set one card face-down and one monster. End turn."

Vincent drew. "I summon Torture Vampyria!" (1500/1000) A blue-skinned woman holding a long curved sword appeared on the field. "Go Blood Letter!" The monster lifted its arms and chanted. The face-down card flipped up to reveal Cyber Shadow-Assassin. (1000/800) "Begone from my sight!" Blood Letter slashed the monster apart. "Now feel the wrath of Vampyria!" The female released a blast of energy from her sword towards Ichigo.

"Go Draining Shield!" Ichigo's face-down card flipped up. "I negate your attack and gain 1500 life points." A glowing green barrier appeared and sucked up the energy blast.

Vincent- 3200

Ichigo- 1600

Vincent looked at his hand…and sneered. "That's not a problem. First I activate a continuous magic card called Card Casket." A golden coffin appeared on his field. "Now I play Balance the Forces! First I discard every card in my hand and you discard the same number!" He discarded four cards and Ichigo gasped as the four cards in his hand shimmered away. "Then I send my magic and trap cards in play one by one to the graveyard." He slid the two set cards into his graveyard. "Now you toss two." Two of Ichigo's set cards vanished. "Finally, I discard Golden Casket…" He slid the card into his graveyard and Ichigo's final card vanished. "When this card is sent to the graveyard all cards that were on my field while it was but are no longer in play are returned." His two set cards appeared again.

Ichigo stared at his graveyard slot. ("This can't…how is he…")

Vincent sneered. "You've lost." ("My face-down Trap Jammer and Magic Drain will protect me from whatever cards he plays next turn.") "You have lost, Ichigo Pilkington. Accept fate. And prepare yourself for a hell beyond that of the mortal comprehension. By the time I am done you will be screaming for mercy." He pointed at Ichigo. "You have lost every card in your hand and field…and accessing your graveyard will cost you. Tell me…how do you run a warrior deck without accessing your graveyard?" He coldly smiled, while his music played in the background. "End turn."

Ichigo closed his eyes. "I understand my mistake now…" His hair shimmered back to brown.

Vincent gasped as his source of energy disappeared, and his muscles returned to normal size. "What are you…"

"I don't need the Dark Halo. Not for you." Ichigo smiled and opened his hazel eyes. "You are strong…but there's no need for me to use my full strength. I'll duel this out like it's supposed to be done." He drew. ("Cyber Shadow-King of Swords (2600/2300) isn't what I had in mind though. How am I supposed to defeat his monsters with this card…I can't even summon it.")

Vincent calmly smiled. "You've still lost." His music blared across the chamber. "I can see it in your face."

Ichigo knew it was over…but something itched at the back of his mind. ("Something I'm forgetting? What?") He had no cards in his hand other than King of Swords, and no cards in play….and then his eyes widened with recognition.

Vincent blinked in surprise as Ichigo's expression turned impossible dark.

The half demon narrowed his eyes evilly. "My answer is that no…without graveyard access warriors are hindered…however…" A purple mist started to rise up out of his disk. "Not every Cyber Shadow is a warrior."

"Impossible, your card set is part of the five. All of them are warrior based." Vincent had yet to notice the mist.

"Not true." Ichigo's face was slightly hidden behind the gathering mist. "Actually…there is one spellcaster in the Cyber Shadow faction. And he is right where he needs to be." The mist formed into the phantom of a black-clothed man holding a large leather-bound. "Cyber Shadow-Death Mage!" (1800/700)

"You special summoned from your graveyard! Take damage!" Vincent pointed at Ichigo…and blinked in surprise as nothing happened. "What's going on?"

Ichigo calmly smiled and Death Mage began chanting. "My monster was never summoned. It's using its effect. By removing itself from my play while in my graveyard…" He drew a card. "I draw one card…and the levels of all Cyber Shadows in my hand and on my field are reduced by the number of cards you have in play minus the number I have in play for a turn. That equals five!" Death Mage finished chanting and its phantom form disappeared. "Go Cyber Shadow-King of Swords!" (2600/2300) A dark form shimmered into existence in front of Ichigo. It was a warrior with a fore-arm blade strapped to each arm. _"Another group of unworthy foes…"_

"It isn't enough attack power to finish this yet!" Vincent refused to believe this was the end.

Ichigo held up his drawn card. "Go King's Ultimate Strike! This magic card…"

"Reveal Magic Drain!" Vincent pointed at one of his set cards…but it didn't flip up. "What?"

Ichigo continued. "…cannot be negated. It can only be activated if King of Swords is in play. Now if he attacks all monsters in play then his attack doubles! And since you have exactly four more cards in play than I do, that's exactly what he's going to do! Go King of Swords, Ultimate Slash!" The warrior launched forwards and moved past both of Vincent's monsters like a blur. (5200/2300)

Vincent stared at both of his monsters as they slowly came apart. And then both exploded with enough force to shatter the speakers in the room and ended the music.

Vincent- 0

Ichigo- 1600

Vincent dropped to his knees. "This cannot be…I had you beaten…you had only one draw…"

Ichigo shrugged and flashed the victory symbol to his opponent. "Maybe you'll pull it off next time."

* * *

"He did it!" Daniel was jumping up and down, cheering wildly.

Kenshin smiled and shook his head. "There must be a god watching him. No one should be that lucky."

Adriel paled. ("I must figure out a way to defeat you in a duel. But such power…")

The Principal of North School sighed and stood up. "So be it." He casually picked up the Vulcan Cannon at his side without much problem. "I'll do it myself." Without the slightest hesitation he aimed the weapon over the railing towards Daniel's back. "Farewell murderer."

_To be continued…_

To Bobbomp: Thanks.

To Anime Albino: Eri's not a ruthless killer. She's an evil bitch, but not a ruthless killer.

To Seeker of the Soul: I'm going to start singing memories.

To Hogwarts-Knight: No, they had 6000 apiece. And the other decks might make an appearance. Who knows, I might start taking submissions for what the other two should be.

To Adriel: Dark Halo Ichigo is heals quickly, so he's okay.

To G.O.T. Nick: OO; Errr…well….I guess they are popular. I dunno, that's the thing of the Garlin and Sestros families.

To Raine Vindicare: Perhaps we will.

To Dais: Nice. You'll run out of correct words eventually though.

To Voidtemplar: He stood pretty well, wouldn't you say so?

To Rex: I'm not sure what they are yet. Five is just a good number to go with.

To Erestor: Figured out why yet?

To Star: He's going to bust out some King of Swords is what he is going to do.

To wolfy: Vincent's age can honestly be anything, don't you think? I mean, Ryu appeared as a teenager at first, though he is +5000 years old. Rebecca doesn't have demon attributes for the same reason members of CJ and Deondre's families don't have those attributes. Demon blood in this day and age needs to be awakened. (The reason why I will not disclose yet.)


	18. Guilty until proven innocent

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Rival School Arc

Chapter 18: Guilty until proven innocent

"Why did there have to be only one elevator to the surface?" Ichigo sighed at Vincent.

The dark-haired boy glared at him. "Why didn't you kill me?"

"Shut up." Ichigo rolled his eyes as the elevator doors opened to the arena floor.

The doors of the elevator opened to chaos. The lobby was in complete disorder, with huge holes everywhere and entire hunks of walls missing. And somewhere in the complex there was the echoing scream of bullets slamming into stone.

"What….happened out here?" Ichigo poked his head out of doors, and immediately withdrew it as his father ran right past screaming. "Dad! What's going on?"

"Come back here murderer!" The Principal of North School ran by seconds later with a huge cylindrical gun cradled in his arms. "You can't get away that easily!"

Vincent blinked at the second passing form. "Joe, what are you doing? Have you lost your mind?"

Daniel ran by the elevator doors again. "I didn't do anything!"

Joe ran by seconds later, the only sound the echoing scream of the Vulcan Cannon as it sprayed bullet after bullet after the retreating half wolf demon. "I will kill you!"

Daniel fell to his knees, sweat pouring down his face. "When is this guy going to run out of bullets…."

"Die Pilkington!"

Groaning, he hopped back to his feet and kept running.

Ichigo sighed as he heard the gunfire still echoing from somewhere within the castle. "When is your brother going to run out of bullets for that thing?"

"I don't know." Vincent sighed as well.

Nevan and Eri were still matching glares while all of this was going on.

* * *

"Aren't….you….tired…?" Daniel felt his back press against the wall behind him. "Think about this…I didn't do anything."

"Shut…up…" A sweat-soaked Joe lifted the cannon's still smoking barrel. "And prepare to meet death." He pulled the trigger…and while the barrel turned nothing came out. "Damn…"

"All out of bullets huh?" Daniel took a few shuddering breaths. "Well…that's a shame. I'm going to go now…"

Joe trembled and dropped the heavy weapon off to the side. "You…will…not….escape!"

Daniel regained his composure. "And how will you stop me, mister doesn't have his deadly gun anymore?"

Vincent casually took a pistol out of his shirt pocket.

"Damn it…"

* * *

Ichigo tapped his foot against a hunk of stone and watched as his father ran by again, with Joe in hot pursuit. "They've been at it for an hour."

"Two actually." Vincent had honestly considered intervening, but then decided against it. His older brother was dangerous when he was angry. ("Still though, this is going a bit overboard.")

Nevan and Eri were still matching glares, while the rest of the Duelist Academy group was starting to have trouble telling them apart.

* * *

Daniel skidded to a stop. "That's enough!"

Joe leveled the pistol calmly at his head. "It's enough when you're corpse is at my feet." He squeezed the trigger….and blinked in surprise as he found a finger keeping the hammer from clicking into place. "How did you do that?"

Daniel reached his hand up and squeezed the metal surface of the weapon, its body instantly twisting into an unrecognizable hunk of steel. "Shut up. I tried to be nice…and I let you get out your aggressions….but you know what…." He grabbed the dark-haired man by the tie and pulled him in close. "I'm not in the mood now. You pushed me too far."

Vincent growled, a bead of sweat sliding down his cheek. ("How am I supposed to beat this guy?") "I…challenge you to a duel." All around them the air darkened as a darkness game sphere formed.

Daniel smiled and removed his duel disk from his duffel bag. "Let's duel then."

* * *

Ichigo sighed and tapped his feet a couple of times against the stone behind him. "Damn it all. What's keeping them?"

An echoing sound reached the ears of everyone in the room at once. It was the sound of a giant bell ringing.

* * *

Joe dropped to his knees and stared at the ground. "Damn you…"

Daniel frowned and shuffled his deck. "I should have used the Elemental Heroes. My Clockwork deck was too tough for you."

Joe snarled and started to stand. "I…I hate you."

Daniel frowned and walked off. "Sure you do. I wouldn't blame you. Maybe when you beat me in a duel I'll tell you what happened to your father."

* * *

The Principal of the Duelist Academy frowned and steeped his fingers against themselves. "Are you sure you want to do this? I mean…that doesn't sound fair."

"I'm not concerned with fair," Rikuo looked down at the ground. "I'm concerned with the well-being of my daughter. And I'll be damned if I allow this to happen."

"As you wish." The Principal sighed. "Should I contact Professor Pilkington as well?"

"Of course. It is his son that is part of this."

* * *

Ichigo looked out one of the side windows of the plane and frowned at the shrinking form of the Asylum. "Was it wise to just let the Garlins walk away dad? I mean…they're not above sneaky tactics."

Daniel shook his head. "Vincent and Joe will want to train themselves to defeat us in a duel. That is the way of a duelist, just like their father. Though he was evil, Giovan Garlin was a duelist. I expect nothing less from his sons."

Ichigo nodded and stood up. "Excuse me."

"Go ahead." Daniel walked his son walk towards the back of the plane. He glanced down at jacket pocket when it started to ring. Removing his cell phone from the pocket, he held it up to his ear. "Hello?"

* * *

Eri heard Ichigo approaching long before she could see him. "Is there something you wanted?"

"I wanted to thank you for giving me the strength to stand against Vincent. Also, I wanted to congratulate you on getting your demon blood back." Ichigo smiled and bowed his head to her. "You truly are the greatest of the cold-hearted bitches."

"Never forget that." She smiled slightly and tapped the wrist of his Duel Arm. "So tell me, are you going that thing?"

"I might as well. What's the worst that could happen?"

"It could explode and kill you in your sleep."

Ichigo flexed the steel fingers of the prosthetic limb and shook his head. "Naw. Even if it tried, I'd just use the Dark Halo."

"You had best not rely on that." Eri's spine tingled as memories of the cold fire that rested within the eyes of _that_ Ichigo. ("It's like looking into the darkest depths of his soul.")

Ichigo tapped the side of his head. "Thanks to your brother I walked away from my duel with Vincent without dying. The Dark Halo was feeding his power."

Eri rolled her eyes. "That's what you deserve, mister ego."

"Hey now, I won fair and square." Ichigo grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "Besides, what's the matter with me enjoying myself?"

"Nothing." The demoness brushed back a lock his hair. "Now go rest. You took a lot more damage than I did."

"You're no fun at all." Turning, he gave her a little wink and walked off.

* * *

Daniel slowly lowered his phone to his lap. ("This is serious…he can't mean it.")

"What's up pop? You look spooked." Ichigo sat back down.

"Nothing." Daniel looked away. ("I hope you're ready…because when the time comes you're going to have to fight like you have never fought before.")

* * *

When the plane touched down at Duelist Academy, the crew stepped out to a warm welcome.

All around the plane there were congratulations banners hung up. And there were numerous TV camera crews around.

Ichigo stepped onto the ground of his home away from home with a huge smile on his face. "Hello there my adoring fans! I'm glad you could come and see me return to Duelist Academy in all of my glory!"

Laughter accompanied the crowd's response to that.

"But seriously, you guys are the coolest. I have to thank all of the little people in my life, like my dad and my…" Ichigo bit down on his tongue as Eri punched him in the back of head.

"What he means to say is that we are glad to have represented the Duelist Academy." The demoness smiled to the cameras. "And of course don't forget that I, the mighty Duel Queen of the Academy…"

Griff shoved her aside. "I'd like to thank Sammy Coffin for inspiring me to duel to my greatest heights of…"

Hitokage calmly elbowed him in the stomach and then looked up at the camera. "That's enough of ego…"

Kenshin rolled his eyes and stepped in front of the blond-haired boy. "I'd like to thank my father…"

Adriel jumped in front of him. "I'd like to thank my father…"

"And mine!" Krieger chimed in from the side.

Davis and Daniel both sighed and rolled their eyes. "Honestly…"

* * *

"And then when I was ten I knew that I was destined for greatness when I won the Junior Division of my school's dueling tournament. Though at that time I thought that just playing Polymerization promised that the game was mine." Ichigo continued to talk to the camera the whole way they walked. Apparently his defeat of Vincent had earned him newsworthy status.

Daniel shook his head and kept walking. Looking down at his deck he frowned and closed his eyes. ("Ichigo…get your head out of your ass and into the game. In a short amount of time you're going to find yourself dueling for your life.")

The group stepped through the front doors of the Obelisk Blue dueling arena…and immediately was plunged into darkness.

"This isn't funny." Kenshin narrowed his eyes. "So…does someone new want us dead?"

The lights flicked on…and everyone but Daniel was in for the surprise of their lives.

Wild applause echoed across the arena from the stands, where nearly the whole school sat. The arena itself was empty.

The surprise was who else was in the audience.

"Mom!" "Dad!" Numerous of these cries rose up from the members of the Duelist Academy's finest eight duelists.

"Heya honey! I saw you on the TV and you looked great!" Jennie grinned and waved down to Ichigo.

Ichigo blushed and looked away. "Aww….I didn't look…"

"Silence!" The yell had so much strength to it that the entire audience went silent. "I'm ready."

Daniel sighed and walked up onto the arena floor. He stepped over to one section of the arena and turned to meet Ichigo's confused stare with a stern gaze.

Rikuo calmly stepped away from the microphone that had been in his spot in the corner. "I have spent a good amount of time on this. I thought about it more and more, with every passing minute of every day. And now I've come to my decision." He leapt onto the adjacent corner from Daniel. "You cannot marry my daughter, whelp. I refuse to allow it."

Gasps echoed across the student body. The fact that Ichigo and Eri were 'engaged' was no secret…but they'd never expected anything like this.

Ichigo blinked in surprise… "Err….but wasn't this a…welcome home ceremony?"

Eri glared at Rikuo. "Father! What gives you the right to interfere in something that is between me and him? If we want to dissolve that contract we will do it of our own choice!"

"I forbid it." Rikuo pointed at his daughter. "Do you oppose me? Do you think that this isn't fair? Well get used to it, because you're not a human. You aren't what the people here wish you to be. You are a primal being, and in demon society strength rules above all other things! And I believe that Ichigo is two steps away from a human. When a real demon comes along he'll be killed and then so will you. I will not allow it!"

Eri continued to glare at her father, while the audience sat in total silence. Jennie's eyes were bulged out of her head, as were Jasmine's.

"No." Ichigo stepped forward. "I won't allow you to order her around anymore."

Rikuo turned his wilting glare unto the object of his ire. "Would you like to repeat that? I think I just heard something impossible."

"There's nothing impossible about it." Ichigo matched the wolf demon's glare with one of his own. "You live in a world of hatred and warfare. A world where lives are always on the line. In your opinion there is no such thing as true peace."

"What's your point?" Rikuo cracked his knuckles.

"My point is that you're wrong!" Ichigo pointed at the wolf demon. "You're insane. And I won't let you turn your daughter into what you want her to be against her will."

"And pray-tell…what are you going to do about it?" Rikuo snarled darkly. "I don't fear the Dark Halo. You're just a child, and I'll rip you apart."

"I stand against you, Rikuo Amero." Ichigo felt blood pumping through his chest. "I challenge you to a duel for ownership of that contract!"

"Ichigo?" Eri stared at the half-demon like he had lost his mind. "That is my father. He is beyond your dueling…"

Ichigo smiled slightly. "Do you accept?"

Rikuo motioned for Ichigo to come. "I'd love to tear you apart. Come on up and test your luck, little man."

"He won't do it alone!" Eri jumped onto the arena floor. "I'll fight you as well then, father!"

Daniel and Rikuo held up their duel disks in perfect unison. "Then come and defeat us!"

Ichigo hopped up alongside Eri. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Eri nodded. "I've learned a lot…and just this once he is wrong. And I'll show him that when we win."

"When you win?" Rikuo sneered. "Dear daughter, I'll show you just how weak your potential bride-groom really is."

Eri and Ichigo caught a pair of duel disks that were thrown to them and put them on.

Daniel frowned. ("I'm sorry Ichigo, but in this situation I'm siding with Rikuo.")

Eri turned on her disk and glared at Rikuo. ("Father, I cannot let you control my life. I must defeat you.")

Rikuo's eyes met Ichigo's. "By the end of this duel you'll see me tear down every defense you have. Are you ready for that?"

Ichigo returned the look he was getting with a smile. "Let's have a good duel."

"I'll show you a good duel." Rikuo drew the top five cards off of his deck. Daniel copied the action in perfect rhythm.

Eri drew her opening five cards.

Ichigo looked down at his deck. ("Alright guys don't hold back.") He lifted his head and drew. "Let's duel!"

_To be continued…_

To Voidtemplar: It's nearing the end. But there are two things left to be handled.

To Dais: Nah, you'll do fine.

To Wolfy: Err…thanks I guess.

To Adriel: What in the heck are you talking about? When did I say Luna was the last card in his deck?

To Raine: Yup, that he is.

To G.O.T. Nick: Yes, I meant that kind of Vulcan cannon. --;

To Just a Dude: Nope. Those are their ears.

To Rex: Indeed it is.

To falcon demon general: It's no problem man.

To Seeker of the Soul: You are correct sir.

To Bobbomp: You'll see soon enough.

To Anime Albino: That's Ichigo though. As he put it once, he's her emotional chew toy.

To Erestor: Would you preferred he had lost and died?

To Star AH: And of course you're the expert on details, right? Well take a look at the chapter again. When Card of Sanctity is played the first time the effect was explained. I didn't say Vincent drew his single extra card when it happened again, but that's because I knew the reader's would understand that.


	19. Wolf free for all

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Rival School Arc

Chapter 19: Wolf Free for all

Eri- 4000

Daniel- 4000

Ichigo- 4000

Rikuo- 4000

"I'm first, draw!" Eri drew. "I summon Bone Sorcerer in defense mode!" (450/600) An old man in bony clothing appeared on the field in a crouching position. "I also set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

Daniel drew. "I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman (800/1200) in attack mode!" A blue-armored superhero appeared in play and struck a curious pose. "When this card is summoned and I have no other cards in play I draw two cards." He snapped the top two cards off of his deck, looked at them, and then turned them over. "Polymerization. I use it to fuse Elemental Hero Clayman (800/2000) with Elemental Hero Bubbleman!" The superhero disappeared and was replaced by a huge-bodied smooth-shelled humanoid. "Elemental Hero Mudballman!" (1900/3000) "In defense mode." The hero slid into a crouching position. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Ichigo drew. "I summon Cyber Shadow-Psychic (1500/1200) in defense mode." A woman in a black body-suit appeared on the field in a crouching position. "Also, I set three cards face-down. End turn."

Rikuo sneered. "It's time for the pro to play his hand. Draw!" He looked at the drawn card. "I play two Frontline Base continuous magic cards. While these cards are in play I can special summon one level four or lower union monster. Now I normal summon X-Head Cannon (1800/1500) in attack mode." A yellow and blue robot appeared on his field. "Also, I activate the effect of Frontline Base. Come out now, Y-Dragon Head (1500/1600) and Z-Metal Tank!" (1500/1300) A red mechanical dragon and a yellow tank appeared in play.

("He has no cards in his hand…") Ichigo felt like cheering. He knew that he could deal with the XYZ Dragon Cannon combination without a problem.

Rikuo held up the last card in his hand. "Card of Sanctity forces all players in play to draw until they are holding six cards in their hand."

All four duelists drew.

Rikuo looked at his new hand. ("Alright.") "I set three cards face-down on the field." He pointed at his monsters. "XYZ Dragon Cannon (2800/2600) form!" The three robots blew apart and combined into a single composite hover tank. "End turn!"

Eri frowned. Her father now had a full field of magic and trap cards, along with one of his most powerful monsters in play. She drew and added the card to her hand. "I summon another Bone Sorcerer in defense mode." A second of the decrepit mages appeared on the field alongside its brethren. "Also, I play the continuous magic card Situational Despair. If you do not attack me during your turn then I draw one card from my deck for every monster you have in play during my own standby phase. End turn."

Daniel drew and glanced over at Rikuo. "That won't be happening Eri. From my hand I summon Friendog (700/1200) to the field." A mechanical black and green dog appeared in play. "Then I play Hero's Death. This magic card lets me destroy a monster in play on my field to force you to do the same. Also, I draw one card." Friendog shuddered and exploded into dust.

Eri pointed at one of her Bone Sorcerers and it exploded.

Daniel drew and then fished his hand into his graveyard. "When Friendog is destroyed I may search my graveyard for a Polymerization and an Elemental Hero and place them into my hand." He held up Bubbleman and the magic card. Now he had eight cards in his cards.

"All of those cards won't do you any good, pops." Ichigo smiled slightly. "Unless of course you'd like to bring out a special guest star?"

Daniel scoffed and held up four cards. "I activate Polymerization. Elemental Hero Featherman, Elemental Hero Sparkman, and Elemental Hero Bubbleman. These three monsters will now combine their power to summon the mightiest Elemental Hero!" The three named monsters appeared on the field and were sucked into a glowing vortex. "Emerge now, Elemental Hero Tempest!" (2800/2300) A winged visor-wearing hero with a blaster for one hand slowly lowered onto the field. "Tempest, attack Cyber Shadow Psychic now! Chaos Tempest!" The warrior aimed the blaster at Ichigo's monster and released a blast of blue energy that tore towards it.

Ichigo pointed at one of his set cards. "Reveal Psychic Backlash! This trap card can only activate when a Cyber Shadow Psychic that I have in play is attacked. The attacking monster will be destroyed and you will discard cards from your deck equal to the number of level stars that monster had!"

"It's not that easy to take us down!" Rikuo pointed at one of his set cards. "I activate Royal Decree!" One of his face-down cards flipped up. "As long as this continuous trap card is face-up all other traps will be negated!" Psychic Backlash exploded and the Chaos Tempest blew Psychic away.

Daniel smiled at Rikuo. "End turn. You're up son."

Ichigo drew. "Here goes nothing. I reveal and activate De-Fusion! This quickplay magic card will break down one fusion monster in play. And my choice is the monster that won't be able to bring back its parts!" He pointed at XYZ Dragon Cannon. "So say goodbye to all of your hard work."

"But parting is such sweet sorrow." Rikuo pointed at another of his set cards. "I reveal Rare Metal Morph! This continuous trap raises the attack power of one machine monster in play by 500 points. Also, when this monster is targeted by a magic card that effect is negated. It can only be used once though."

Ichigo pointed at Royal Decree. "Forgetting something old man?"

"Not a chance little shit," Rikuo pointed at his last set card. "I reveal Emergency Provisions. This card lets me sacrifice Royal Decree and my two Frontline Base cards to gain 3000 life points. That means that the effect of Rare Metal Morph goes through." The steel surface of the hover tank turned into a silver sheen and Ichigo's magic card exploded. (3300/2600)

Eri- 4000

Daniel- 4000

Ichigo- 4000

Rikuo- 7000

Ichigo frowned. "I activate Polymerization, fusing Cyber Shadow Strongarm and Cyber Shadow Shield Bearer together!" A huge warrior with a giant shield in front of it and a rocket launched strapped to its back appeared in play. "Cyber Shadow Big Blaster!" (1200/3000) "Big Blaster's special ability lets me destroy one defense mode monster in play when it's out! So I'll destroy Mudballman! Big Bang Blast!"

"Reveal De-Fusion!" Daniel pointed at his set card. "Breakdown Mudballman!" The superhero blew apart and transformed into Bubbleman and Clayman.

Ichigo growled. "Big Bang Blast is a once per turn deal. So for now I can only set a card face-down and end my turn."

Rikuo drew. "It's time to clear out their defenses, wouldn't you agree Hikari?"

Daniel nodded. "Go for it."

The wolf demon held up a card. "From my hand I activate Polymerization! This magic card will let me combine these two monsters from my hand." He held up the two choice cards. "Jinzo and Wolf Demon Lord combine to create Steel Wolf General!" (3400/2000) A giant humanoid wolf in green armor with a giant broadsword strapped to its back appeared on the field. "XYZ attacks Big Blaster! Ultimate Destruction!" The machine opened dozens of ports in its body and unleashed destruction in the form of wave after wave of energy that pummeled into the giant monster and blew it apart. "Now Steel Wolf General attacks Bone Sorcerer!" The monster launched forwards and slashed the spellcaster apart. "Steel Wolf General's special ability can only negate flip effects, but when I play this quickplay magic card from my hand I can clear out your chances!" Electricity arched through the air and hit Eri's duel disk. "Electroshock negates the effect of one monster destroyed as a result of battle. Since I have no more cards in play or in my hand, I end my turn."

* * *

From up in the stands Deondre frowned. "Wow…they're not playing around. Rikuo and Daniel really mean to end Eri and Ichigo."

CJ looked down at the field. "I'm not even sure who to root for."

Siegfried sat silently, along with Ryu.

* * *

Eri drew. "It's my turn now! From my hand I activate Death Ritual of Lithmus!" She slid two cards from her hand into her graveyard. "I sacrifice Death Cregit Mage and Death Caliber Knight to summon Swordsman of Death Lithmus to the field!" A white-clothed warrior holding a pair of curved swords in front of it appeared on the field.

"Now I activate the effect of Lithmus by flipping up the continuous trap card Call of the Beast! This trap lets me pay 500 life points once per turn to raise the attack points of one monster in play by that number. And because there is a face-up trap card in play Lithmus' attack and defense scores are 3000!" (3000/3000) "Lithmus, attack XYZ Dragon Cannon now!" (3500/3000) The warrior glided across the field and slashed the hover tank apart.

"Also, I reveal my other face-down card Magic of the Night. When a monster in play is destroyed as a result of battle I can trigger this continuous trap card. It forces one target monster in play to not attack. So now Steel Wolf General cannot attack." The mighty warrior grunted and fell to one knee, eyes now closed. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Eri- 3500

Daniel- 4000

Ichigo- 4000

Rikuo- 6800

Daniel drew. ("Rikuo, I've got you covered.") "From my hand I play the equipment magic card Clay Wrap on Clayman!" A lump of clay fell over the warrior's body. "Then I play Fusion Return! This magic card lets me take back one Polymerization card from my graveyard and add it to my hand." He held up the magic card. "Now I play Polymerization, fusing Elemental Hero Clayman with Elemental Hero Burst Lady to create Elemental Hero Rampant Gunner!" (2000/2500) "In attack mode!" A strange female version of Clayman with a shield on one arm and a rocket launched on the other appeared on the field. "Clay Wrap's special ability triggers now. When it is sent to the graveyard with Clayman I can destroy one magic or trap card in play. Magic of the Night is destroyed!" The continuous trap on Eri's field shattered.

Steel Wolf General stood up and brushed itself off. Eri grimaced at that, while Rikuo smiled slightly.

Daniel slid another card into his disk. "Next I play the equipment magic card Bubble Shooter on Bubbleman!" A bazooka-like device appeared over the hero's shoulder. "This card increases Bubbleman's attack power by 800 points!" (1600/1200)

Eri sneered coldly. "But Lithmus is too powerful for all three of your weakling heroes."

"No hero is truly weak." Daniel held the last card in his hand up. "For as long as they are together strength will see them through this. From my hand I play Hero's Might! This equipment magic card will equip to Tempest. It can increase the power of any fusion Elemental Hero by 1500 points!" (4300/2300) "Go now Tempest, attack Lithmus! Chaos Tempest!" The warrior hefted its blaster arm and released a blue blast of power that slammed into the warrior and destroyed it instantly.

Eri- 2200

Daniel- 4000

Ichigo- 4000

Rikuo- 6800

Eri braced herself as the wind from the attack nearly bowled her over. "Lithmus…"

"I'm not done yet! Rampant Gunner attacks you…"

"Not so fast dad!" Ichigo pointed at one of his set cards. "Go A Hero Emerges! This trap card will force you to choose one card in my hand. If it is a monster then it is special summoned to the field. So make your choice." He held up his three remaining cards.

Daniel pointed at the middle one.

Ichigo smirked and threw it down. "Cyber Shadow King of Swords!" (2600/2300) A tall muscular warrior with blades attached to its forearms appeared on the field. _"The Elemental Heroes are my opponents this time? Interesting…"_

Daniel frowned. "I end my turn."

Ichigo drew. "From my hand I play Fusion Return!" He removed Polymerization from his graveyard and slid it into his hand. "Also, I play The Warrior Returning Alive! This magic card lets me take back one warrior type monster and add it to my hand!" He held up Cyber Shadow Psychic. ("Rikuo's Steel Wolf General is too strong for me to fight. So I have no choice but to go after dad's monsters.") "From my hand I play Polymerization, fusing Cyber Shadow Blademaster with Cyber Shadow Psychic to create Cyber Shadow Rune Blade!" (2400/1000) A hooded spellcaster with a pair of intricate swords appeared in play. "This monster's special ability allows me to sacrifice one of its 1000 attack bonus counters to destroy a magic or trap card in play. So I sacrifice a counter to destroy Bubble Shooter!" Rune Blade threw one of its swords and shattered the bazooka weapon. (1400/1000) "King of Swords, attack Rampant Gunner!" The warrior shimmered and the fusion hero exploded.

Eri- 2200

Daniel- 3400

Ichigo- 4000

Rikuo- 6800

"Rune Blade, attack Bubbleman!" The spellcaster leapt forward and slashed the superhero in half.

Eri- 2200

Daniel- 2800

Ichigo- 4000

Rikuo- 6800

"Then I sacrifice the other counter of Rune Blade to destroy Hero's Might!" The warrior threw its other sword, which passed through Tempest. (2800/2300) "End turn."

Rikuo drew. "Steel Wolf General, attack Swordsman of Death Lithmus!"

Eri pointed at Call of the Beast. "Call of the Beast activates now!" The card didn't respond. "What?"

"Have you forgotten princess?" Rikuo smirked as his monster slashed the warrior apart. "Steel Wolf General prevents someone from activating trap cards to its attack."

Eri- 1700

Daniel- 2800

Ichigo- 4000

Rikuo- 6800

Ichigo frowned and then remembered what he had in play. ("We'll be okay…King of Swords will hold as long as my traps remain in play.")

Rikuo held up his drawn. "Sneak Attack from the Darkness allows me to have a battle phase after my end phase. Steel Wolf General, attack King of Swords." The warrior leapt right from Eri's field to Ichigo's field and cut down the mighty King.

Eri- 1700

Daniel- 2800

Ichigo- 3200

Rikuo- 6800

Ichigo paled and met Rikuo's cold glare.

"I am the general. You are the pawn. Remember that, whelp." Rikuo pointed at Eri. "End turn! Now make sure that you fight with all of your strength. Because I'm not screwing around here."

_To be continued…_

To Sinister: Indeed it is.

To Bobbomp: Errr….thanks?

To Anime Albino: At any of your friendly Petco retail stores.

To Voidtemplar: This is the big one for this arc.

To Adriel: Did I say he had one card left in his deck?

To Lance Murdock: They might just be.

To Seeker of the Soul: Nope, E-Heroes vs. Cyber Shadows sounded more fun.

To falcon demon general: Dude…check your spelling before you submit your review please?

To Gryphinwyrm: You would be right to say that about them. They are outclassed.

To generic reviewer: I see you dislike the pairing of Eri and Ichigo?

To Raine: I'll see if I can. It mostly depends on my mood at the time of writing.


	20. Outmatched

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Rival School Arc

Chapter 20: Outmatched

Eri drew. "I play the magic card Golden Ointment. This card lets me choice one player in play other than myself. That player draws a card." She pointed at Ichigo. "And when that player draws the card I gain 2000 life points."

Ichigo smiled and drew. A golden light fell over Eri's body.

Eri- 1700

Daniel- 2800

Ichigo- 5200

Rikuo- 6800

Eri slid a card into her disk and placed a monster face-down. "I set one card face-down and one monster as well. End turn."

Daniel drew. "From my hand I play Pot of Greed. This card lets me draw two cards." He slid the top two cards off of his deck and looked at them. After a few moments he pointed at Ichigo's Cyber Shadow Rune Blade. "Go Tempest, attack his monster now! Chaos Tempest!" The warrior aimed its blaster at the warrior on Ichigo's field and released a blast of blue energy that hurtled towards the spellcaster.

Ichigo pointed at one of his set cards. "I activate Narrow Escape! This trap card lets one Cyber Shadow in play escape one attack and emerge unscathed." The spellcaster leapt aside and the blast flew past Ichigo and slammed into the back wall of the arena and dissipated. "Also, this trap lets me set one magic or trap card from my hand on the field. It can be activated during this turn." He slid the card he had drawn into his disk and it appeared on the field behind his Cyber Shadow.

Daniel frowned and slid a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Ichigo drew. "I switch Rune Blade into defense mode." The spellcaster slid to one knee, its swords gone and leaving it without any real use. (400/1000) "Also, I set one monster face-down and end my turn."

Rikuo drew. "Steel Wolf General, attack Eri's set monster now!" The mighty warrior leapt forwards and slashed the set monster in half. "End turn."

Eri drew. "I flip up my face-down Call of the Haunted trap card! This card lets me revive one monster from my graveyard!" Lithmus appeared on the field and drew its swords. "Because there is a trap card face-up in play its attack and defense are 3000!" (3000/3000) Her eyes glanced at the spaces of her magic and trap zone. ("Because of its effect Call of the Beast destroyed itself when I had no monsters in play. If I still had it then Lithmus could defeat Steel Wolf General…") She pointed at Tempest. "Attack now Lithmus!" The warrior leapt forward and slashed its sword across the hero's front.

Daniel pointed at his set card. "Tempest's special ability activates now! I sacrifice one card on my field to prevent it from dying as a result of battle!" The card shimmered away and Tempest yelled out, releasing a blast of wind that pushed the other warrior away.

Eri- 1700

Daniel- 2600

Ichigo- 5200

Rikuo- 6800

Eri growled darkly. She had forgotten about that ability. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Daniel drew, looked at the card, and then pointed at Rune Blade. "Tempest, attack now with Chaos Tempest!" The warrior lifted its blaster and blew the spellcaster away. "End turn."

Ichigo drew. "Here I go…" His eyes flicked down to the drawn card and then widened. "From my hand I play Pot of Greed." He drew two cards, looked at them, and then looked at the two monsters on the field of his father and Rikuo. "Let's what luck has in store for me. From my hand, I summon Cyber Shadow Shifter!" (800/1200) A black-clothed ninja appeared on the field and struck a fighting pose. "Then I play the magic card Shifter's Trickery! This card lets me draw three cards when Shifter is in play!" He drew the top three cards off of his deck and held them up. "I got it…"

Rikuo and Daniel both narrowed their eyes. Daniel had some idea what was coming…but he didn't know what it was specifically.

Ichigo flipped the three cards over. "I've drawn Polymerization and Cyber Shadow Soldier." His lips lifted slightly, just enough to reveal the tips of his fangs. "Hang on tight old man, because I'm about to take that ugly fusion off the field. Go Polymerization!" A medium-sized black-helmeted warrior appeared next to Shifter and the two monsters were pulled into a glowing vortex. "Come out now, Cyber Shadow Vortex Fighter!" (1800/1500) A warrior wearing a black and silver martial artist's uniform appeared on the field. "This monster's special ability lets it gain half of the attack of any stronger monster it fights! Dragon Fist!" The warrior leapt forward and punched a hole in the chest of the Steel Wolf General. (3500/1500)

Eri- 1700

Daniel- 2600

Ichigo- 5200

Rikuo- 6700

Rikuo braced himself against the backlash and snarled. "Damn you, little…" He caught a card that was spat out of his graveyard. "When Steel Wolf General is destroyed I can special summon Wolf Demon Lord!" (2400/1000) A humanoid wolf in samurai armor appeared on the field.

Ichigo looked at the last card in his hand. "End turn for now."

Rikuo drew. "I'm going to mess up your face, whelp. Now hold still while I play Monster Reborn!" He pointed at his field. "Revive now, Steel Wolf General!" The fusion warrior reappeared and howled along with the Wolf Demon Lord. "Now Wolf Demon Lord, Howling Sword!" The warrior slammed its sword along the ground, the blast heading towards Shifter.

"Reveal Draining Shield!" Ichigo watched calmly as a glowing barrier of green light sprang up and stopped the attack. "This card negates your attack and lets me gain life points equal to the attack strength of the negated monster."

Eri- 1700

Daniel- 2600

Ichigo- 7600

Rikuo- 6700

Rikuo pointed at Vortex Fighter. "Your monster is tough, but the more I think about it I understand something…its effect only applies when it is the attacker."

Ichigo paled.

"I thought so! Steel Wolf General attack!" The warrior launched forwards and slashed through the martial artist with no problem. "End turn."

Eri- 1700

Daniel- 2600

Ichigo- 5000

Rikuo- 6700

Eri drew. ("Ichigo…you can't defeat my father alone. But at the same time, as long as your father is fighting alongside my father then there's no way we can hope to make much progress against them.") "Lithmus, attack Tempest!" The warrior launched forwards and this time the superhero was truly destroyed. "End turn."

Eri- 1700

Daniel- 2400

Ichigo- 5000

Rikuo- 6700

Daniel drew. "You're very good Eri…but not quite good enough. I play Hero's Respect. This magic card lets me select one fusion monster from my graveyard. I may take two of its fusion components from my graveyard and add them to my hand." He held up Bubbleman and Featherman. "Now, I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman in attack mode!" (800/1200) The light blue armored superhero appeared on the field and struck a pose. "When there are no other cards in play I draw two cards." He drew twice and looked at the drawn cards. "Now I play The Warrior Returning Alive! This magic card lets me take back one warrior monster." He held up Elemental Hero Burst Lady. "Now…Polymerization." A green and red superhero with a dragon for an arm appeared on his field. "Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" (2100/1200) The warrior roared out and then lowered its eyes to look at Lithmus.

Ichigo frowned slightly. ("Flame Wingman. When this monster destroys another monster as a result of battle the owner of the destroyed monster takes damage equal to the attack points of the monster they lost.") As long as Flame Wingman was in play the duel was now in a state of endgame. One good hit from Flame Wingman would finish off nearly any duelist.

Eri rubbed her index finger under her nose. "I'm safe, or have you forgotten that Lithmus is in play?"

"I haven't forgotten." Daniel opened his field magic card slot. "But have you forgotten what I have? Activate field magic card Skyscraper!" All around the four duelists the field changed into a giant landscape of buildings. "As long as this field magic card is in play all monsters with hero in their title gain 1000 attack points when they battle with a stronger monster."

"That means…" Eri's eyes widened.

"That's right." Daniel pointed at Lithmus. "Flame Wingman, Skyscraper Shooter!" The superhero leapt upwards to stand on the top of the highest building. (3100/1200) It looked down at Lithmus and then dropped downwards, its body covered in fire.

Eri knew that if that attack went through with no outside interference she'd be destroyed. "Reveal Hopes of the Fallen! This trap card activates when a monster is destroyed as a result of battle. I gain that monster's attack points in life!" Flame Wingman's burning form slammed into Lithmus and blew it apart.

Eri- 4600

Daniel- 2400

Ichigo- 5000

Rikuo- 6700

Daniel pointed at the demoness. "Flame Wingman's special ability activates and you take damage equal to the attack points of your monster!" The superhero aimed its dragon arm right at Eri. The arm snarled and sprayed the girl with fire.

Eri- 1600

Daniel- 2400

Ichigo- 5000

Rikuo- 6700

Daniel pointed at Eri. "Bubbleman, direct attack!" The superhero lifted its right arm and fired a stream of water that slammed into Eri's chest and sent her careening to the ground. "End turn."

Eri- 800

Daniel- 2400

Ichigo- 5000

Rikuo- 6700

Ichigo drew. "I set a card face-down and a monster face-down. End turn."

Rikuo drew. "Wolf Demon Lord, attack the newest set monster with Howling Sword!" The humanoid wolf slammed its sword across the earth and sent a wave of blue fire that slammed into the monster. A machine was revealed on the field. It made a weak hum noise and then exploded into dust. "Now Steel Wolf General, attack the other set monster!" The huge warrior launched forwards and slammed its sword through the set monster.

Ichigo frowned. "Cyber Shadow-Screamer's special ability lets me pick up one Cyber Shadow and one Polymerization card. Except that its effect is a flip effect. Because of that your monster negates this effect. However…" He pointed at his set card. "Reveal Reverse Revenge! This trap card triggers when a flip effect on my field is negated! The effect activates twice!" He smirked and held up two Polymerizations, King of Swords, and Soldier. "Thanks for helping me."

Rikuo snarled….knowing that there was nothing he could do. "Fine…end turn."

Eri drew. "I play Mystical Recursion. This card lets me pick up one normal monster from my graveyard!" He slapped a card down. "I summon Death Caliber Knight (1900/1200) in attack mode!" A skeleton on an undead horse appeared on the field. "Attack Bubbleman now!" The warrior charged forwards and slashed through the superhero. "I also set one card face-down and end my turn."

Eri- 800

Daniel- 2300

Ichigo- 5000

Rikuo- 6700

Daniel drew. "Flame Wingman, attack her knight and end this duel! Flame Shooter!" The warrior launched forwards, its body immediately lighting on fire. It flashed past the undead knight and blew it apart. "Flame Wingman…"

Eri pointed at her set card. "Reveal Pikeru's Circle of Enchantment! This trap card negates all effect damage to me during this turn!" A glowing white circle of light appeared around her, blocking the flames that Flame Wingman hurled at her immediately.

Eri- 600

Daniel- 2300

Ichigo- 5000

Rikuo- 6700

Daniel smiled slightly. "Good, you're not surrendering. End turn." He nearly leapt out of his skin when Rikuo snarled at him.

"Don't encourage them!" The wolf demon's eyes spun around to meet Ichigo's. "I refuse to accept that this pitiful whelp could even have the chance of being my son in law! And I shall use every ounce of my power to make sure that he doesn't succeed!"

Ichigo returned the glare coldly. "You…I thought that you cared about your daughter….but now I see the truth…"

Eri turned slowly, her face actually reflecting the tiniest bit of fear. "Ichigo….don't…."

Rikuo snarled darkly and punched a hole in the steel of the arena right below him. "You little punk! Are you criticizing how I raise my own daughter?"

Ichigo drew. "It's my turn now! I play Reload and shuffle my hand into my deck. Then I draw four cards." He slid four cards off of his deck and then looked into Rikuo's eyes calmly. "You're insane. If you knew what was right for her, then you'd stop being such an ass and listen to what she wants!"

"All you care about is getting her for yourself!" The wolf demon nearly roared. "I won't let you have her without a fight to the death! Do you hear me? Just like the Steel Wolf General, I'll crush every hope you have of putting my daughter in a dangerous situation ever again! It's because of you she's wound up part of all of this anyway!"

Ichigo had his eyes closed the whole time as he listened. Then he opened his eyes. "Let me show you something. You think you're invincible? You think that you can keep her safe because you're her big strong father?" He held up a card. "The power of Polymerization…the power that speaks of my heart."

A swirling vortex appeared in the air. "Sometimes the most powerful emotions can't be enough to protect those you love." He held up a card. "Cyber Shadow Blademaster. The devotion to a single purpose. The devotion to keeping Eri safe from harm. It alone cannot be enough to defeat you." A black-armored warrior holding a pair of longswords appeared in the air above him.

Rikuo snickered slightly at that. "That's right…wishful thinking means nothing…"

Ichigo held up another card. "Cyber Shadow Berserker. The rage that drives one to sacrifice themselves for those they love. This cannot be enough to match you in battle." A wild-looking warrior holding atoothed blade appeared on the other side of the vortex.

Rikuo narrowed his eyes. "You've learned…something at least. Being an emotional little brat won't help you save anyone."

"That's where you're wrong." Ichigo watched as the two monsters were sucked into the vortex. "Blind rage and devotion to a cause…giving a form that can bring forth the most damage! Come out now, Cyber Shadow Cutter!" (2100/1500) A humanoid warrior holding a laser chainsaw appeared on the field.

"Keh! If that's what your emotions can produce, then I have nothing to worry about." Rikuo sneered.

Ichigo held up the last card in his hand. "The final addition. The power that makes it all worthwhile. Friendship….friendship and understanding! Fusion Weapon! This equipment magic card raises the attack and defense points of one level six or lower fusion monster in play by 1500 points!" (3600/3000)

"3600…." Rikuo's eyes widened. "Why you little…"

"Stuff it, old man." Ichigo pointed at Steel Wolf General. "Cyber Shadow Cutter, Berserk Slash-down!" The warrior launched forwards and swung the chainsaw hundreds of times in a matter of seconds. Steel Wolf General growled weakly and exploded into dust, the backlash forcing Rikuo to cover his eyes.

Eri- 600

Daniel- 2300

Ichigo- 5000

Rikuo- 6500

Ichigo pointed at Rikuo. "Cyber Shadow Cutter shares the effect of Flame Wingman. When he destroys a monster as a result of battle you take the destroyed monster's attack in damage!"

Rikuo opened his eyes just in time to feel a chainsaw bite into his shoulder. For a few moments he actually stumbled, but then he quickly caught his balance.

Eri- 600

Daniel- 2300

Ichigo- 5000

Rikuo- 3100

Everyone in the stands sat speechless. No one, even Daniel, had ever seen someone speak like that to Rikuo.

The wolf demon literally roared this time. "I'll tear you apart!"

Ichigo closed his eyes. "Come. Bring your best."

"It's my turn now…" Rikuo drew slowly. "DRAW!"

_To be continued…_

To Lance Murdock: They might. Ichigo has to be fully into Dark Halo for his deck to transform though.

To falcon demon general: Yup.

To Seeker of the Soul: I'm glad you agree.

To Hogwarts-Knight: Which Rikuo have you been watching? The only reason Rikuo hasn't killed Ichigo is because he's Daniel's son.

To G.O.T. Nick: It's still pretty tense, if just because Ichigo is pretty much planning on taking on Rikuo all on his own.

To LucienShadowMaster: Eri was simply having trouble sorting through the powerful emotions of suddenly being human. Therefore….she kind of lost her mind.

To Rex: That's right, he isn't screwing around. He intends to destroy Ichigo if he can.

To Voidtemplar: Rikuo always has the Howling Sword. Legendary Weapon cards don't disappear into thin air. They appear like that, but never disappear from their owners.

To Raine: Yeah, Rikuo is being a bit thick-headed right now.

To Bobbomp: Hum.

To Anime Albino: Ichigo flavored? Spread strawberry flavoring over a dog chewtoy and there you go.

To generic reviewer: Perhaps, perhaps not.

To Star: I'll be sure to relay that to them.

To wolfy: I'm glad you're so loose on your moral standards. Of course, if that happened Rikuo would sniff Ichigo down and castrate him….and then the Sestros' style torturing would begin.

To Sinister: This might be the last arc. Who knows, maybe this will be the last duel I ever write. I have been at this for a while now….hmm….

To Dais: Await no longer.


	21. The Test Continued

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Rival School Arc

Chapter 21: The test continued

_Ichigo pointed at Rikuo. "Cyber Shadow Cutter shares the effect of Flame Wingman. When he destroys a monster as a result of battle you take the destroyed monster's attack in damage!"_

_Rikuo opened his eyes just in time to feel a chainsaw bite into his shoulder. For a few moments he actually stumbled, but then he quickly caught his balance._

_Eri- 600_

_Daniel- 2300_

_Ichigo- 5000_

_Rikuo- 3100_

_Everyone in the stands sat speechless. No one, even Daniel, had ever seen someone speak like that to Rikuo._

_The wolf demon literally roared this time. "I'll tear you apart!"_

_Ichigo closed his eyes. "Come. Bring your best."_

"_It's my turn now…" Rikuo drew slowly. "DRAW!"_

The wolf demon looked at the drawn card and then at the monsters in play. His rage cooled down instantly. ("I have no cards in my hand that possess the power to overcome his monster.") His eyes flicked over to his physical avatar. ("Wolf Demon Lord's special ability makes all battle damage I take from its death equal zero. However…") "Wolf Demon Lord switches to defense mode." The humanoid wolf sheathed its sword and slid into a crouching position. "Also, I set two cards face-down and summon Kuriboh (300/200) in defense mode." A little brown furball appeared on his field next to the Wolf Demon Lord. "End turn."

Eri drew. ("In my current situation Mr. Pilkington's Flame Wingman will destroy me.") "I set one card face-down. End turn."

Daniel drew. "Flame Wingman, attack her life points directly!"

"Reverse card open!" Eri pointed at her set card and it flipped up. "Hallowed Life Barrier lets me discard one card from my hand to negate all life point damage to me this turn!" A glowing barrier of light sprang up and negated the attack instantly.

Daniel chuckled. "Alright, end turn then."

Ichigo drew. ("I have only one option in front of me.") "Cutter, attack Wolf Demon Lord!" The warrior snapped its weapon in an insane arc, cutting into the humanoid wolf.

Rikuo pointed at one of his set cards. "Activate Trap Reflector! This trap card lets me take one trap card from my opponent's graveyard and activate it!" He held up a card that shimmered into his hand. "Hope of the Fallen lets me gain life points equal to the attack strength of a monster that is destroyed as a result of battle."

Eri- 600

Daniel- 2300

Ichigo- 5000

Rikuo- 5500

Ichigo growled and pointed at Rikuo. "When Cutter destroys a monster as a result of battle you take its attack in damage!" The warrior launched forwards and slammed the chainsaw down onto the wolf demon's shoulder, sending him to his knees.

Eri- 600

Daniel- 2300

Ichigo- 5000

Rikuo- 3100

Glancing at the drawn card, Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "End turn."

Rikuo drew. "From my hand I activate Card of Demise! This card lets me draw until I have five cards into my hand!" He snapped five cards off of his deck and fanned them out. ("Damn it…there's no way for me to overpower that warrior on his field. However…") He smirked slightly. "From my hand I activate the continuous magic card Hall of Mirrors!" A card appeared behind his Kuriboh. "This card works when I summon monsters to the field. They gain five counters on them. When they would be destroyed as a result of battle a counter is removed instead. If Hall of Mirrors is destroyed then all monsters on my field dies."

His current face-down card flipped up. "Multiply sends Kuriboh to the graveyard to let me special summon as many Kuriboh Tokens (300/200) as I can!" The little furball disappeared and five new ones took its place. Then each of the five became surrounded by five copies of themselves.

"Also, I play the magic card Trap Searcher!" A magic card appeared on the field with a picture of Jinzo looking through an old treasure chest. "By discarding one card from my hand I can take one trap card from my deck and add it to my hand. This card cannot be set until my next turn." He held up a card. "Ring of Destruction." Inserting the card into his hand, he pointed at Ichigo. "End turn!"

Eri looked down at her deck. ("I have no cards in hand and no cards in play. Yet I thought I was playing this duel the most conservatively….") She drew and gasped at the card. ("This card will help…but…") She closed her eyes and slid it into her disk. "I activate the magic card Touch of the Dark Thief. This magic card allows me to declare one card name. If that is card is in your hand then I may place that card into my hand." She pointed at Rikuo. "Ring of Destruction!" The card disappeared out of the wolf demon's hand and appeared in hers. "I set one card face-down." She slid the Ring of Destruction into her disk.

Ichigo stared at the demoness. "Eri…what are you doing?"

"I have no choice in the matter. If I'm leaving this duel then I'll take your father down some of the way with me. End turn!"

Daniel paled and slid the top card off of his deck. "It's…"

Eri pointed at her set card. "Go Ring of Destruction!" A metal ring surrounded by grenades appeared around the throat of Flame Wingman. "This trap card destroys one monster in play and deals its attack points in damage to both of us!" There was an echoing click and both duelists disappeared in a flash of smoke and fire.

Eri- 0

Daniel- 200

Ichigo- 5000

Rikuo- 3100

As the smoke cleared Eri was revealed standing outside of the arena. "Ichigo…I'm…"

Daniel frowned and slapped a card down. "I summon Elemental Hero Wildman (1500/1600) in defense mode!" A brown-skinned man wearing only a loincloth with a sword over its shoulder appeared on the field in a crouching position. "Also, I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

Ichigo was already back in the game. ("I can't let myself get distracted!") "Draw!" He drew the top card off of his deck. "Cutter, attack Wildman!" The warrior launched forwards and slashed the chainsaw blade through the warrior. "Now you lose 1500…"

"Reverse cards open!" Daniel pointed at Eri's duel disk. "Mechanical Magic Mirror lets me take one magic card from an opponent's graveyard and activate it for myself! Go Golden Ointment!" Golden light shimmered over him right before the chainsaw blade bit into his arm. "So I gain 2000 life points and Rikuo draws a card."

Rikuo drew slowly and inserted the card into his hand. "Thanks."

Eri- 0

Daniel- 700

Ichigo- 5000

Rikuo- 3100

Daniel smirked. "The other card was Hero Signal. When a monster is destroyed as a result of battle I can special summon one level four or lower Elemental Hero from my deck to the field!" He removed a card from his deck and threw it down. "Go Elemental Hero Necro Darkman!" (1300/1800) A red-skinned warrior covered in bone armor appeared on the field in a crouching position.

Ichigo frowned and placed a card face-down onto his disk. "I set one monster face-down and a card face-down. End turn."

Rikuo drew. ("Four cards….and still no method to deal with Cutter.") "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Daniel drew. ("If he attacks with Cutter I'll lose…") "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Ichigo drew. "Go Cutter, attack dad's Elemental Hero!"

Daniel pointed at his face-down card. "I activate my own Trap Reflector! I use its power to activate Pikeru's Circle of Enchantment!" A glowing circle of light appeared around him as his monster was slashed apart. "This trap card will negate all effect damage to me from this turn."

Ichigo clenched his fist. "End turn!"

Rikuo drew and added the card to his hand. ("I'm still safe as long as Hall of Mirrors is in play. But what about Daniel…I have to keep him alive.") "I set a card face-down and end my turn."

Daniel drew and then glanced over at Rikuo.

The wolf demon returned the glance.

Nodding, the half wolf demon slapped a card onto his disk. "I summon Elemental Hero Edgeman!" (2600/1800) A golden-armored warrior appeared on the field, its body covered in armor that looked like it could cut through anything.

"Edgeman?" Ichigo's eyes widened. "How?"

"Elemental Hero Necro Darkman's special ability allows me to special summon one Elemental Hero from my hand to the field without need for sacrifices." He pointed at Cutter. "Now it's time to end this damage-dealing madness! Edgeman, attack Cutter now! Power Edge Attack!"

Ichigo gulped as the golden warrior charged towards his creature. "And because of Skyscraper…."

"Right," Daniel pointed at Edgeman. "Because a hero monster battles with a monster that has more attack points that it, its attack goes up by 1000!" (3600/1800) The two monsters slammed into each other and exploded into dust.

Ichigo wasn't done yet. "Unlike Flame Wingman, even if my monster is destroyed as a result of battle its effect will still trigger!" The chainsaw of Cutter spun through the air and started to descend towards Daniel. "So long pop!"

"Not a chance!" Rikuo pointed at his left set card. "Go Damage Redirection! This trap card will transfer the damage to my life points instead!"

"What?" Ichigo and Daniel both gasped as the weapon started to fall towards the wolf demon.

"Reverse card open!" Rikuo pointed at his other card. "Go Damage Erase!" The chainsaw disappeared. "This quickplay magic card negates one instance of damage that would happen to my life points!"

Daniel nodded to Rikuo. "End turn."

Ichigo drew. ("I don't have any monsters in my hand, and the set monster won't be able to finish dad off.") "I set two cards face-down and end my turn." Now he had three cards set face-down and one monster.

Rikuo drew. "For now I'll just set a card face-down and stay behind my defenders. End turn."

Daniel drew. ("Alright, good draw.") "I activate Dark Factory of Mass Production. This card allows me to pick up two normal monsters from my graveyard." He removed two cards from the slot and threw one down. "Elemental Hero Clayman (800/2000) in defense mode!" A bulky clay humanoid appeared on the field in a crouching position. "End turn!"

Ichigo drew. "I set one monster face-down and end my turn."

Rikuo frowned. ("At the beginning of the third turn from now I'll have to discard my whole hand. I'd better do something quick.") He looked at the drawn card. "Hey little shit, see if you can keep up with this one!" He slid a card into his disk. "Mystical Space Typhoon lets me destroy one magic or trap card in play! My choice is Hall of Mirrors!" The continuous card exploded and so did the five Kuriboh Tokens. "Reverse card open!" His face-down card flipped up. "Loss. This trap card lets me activate it when I lose more than three monsters in play. Now I can search my deck for the same number of level four or lower monsters equal to the destroyed monster and special summon them!" He removed five cards from his deck. "Come out now!"

A humanoid wolf holding a spear appeared on the field. "Wolf Demon Soldier!" (1400/1200)

Next to it a robot covered all over with numerous metal blades appeared in play. "Mechanical Chaser!" (1850/800)

Then alongside those two three train boxcars appeared in play. "I also special summon three of these little things!" (500/500)

Ichigo gasped. "Five monsters….but only two of them are threats…."

Rikuo smirked. "Oh really?" He pointed at Mechanical Chaser and Wolf Demon Soldier. "I sacrifice these two monsters for Perfect Machine King!" (2700/1500) A huge white and red robot appeared in play. "For every machine in play this monster gains 500 attack points!" (4200/1500)

Daniel smiled slightly. "Nice…"

"Not done yet!" Rikuo discarded a card from his hand. "I activate the magic card Reverse Revival! This card's special ability lets me special summon one flip effect monster from my graveyard. Its effect is considered activated upon summoning!" A train engine with a face appeared on the field and tooted loudly. "Dekoichi's special ability lets me draw one card. Then I draw a card for every one of its boxcars in play!" He snapped three cards off of his deck. Now he had five cards again.

Ichigo grimaced. "It doesn't matter. I'll find a way to destroy those weak monsters as soon as I can."

Rikuo tapped his temple. "They're not sticking around." He slid a card into his disk. "Divine Sacrifice! This magic card lets me sacrifice four monsters in play to special summon one divine monster from my deck to the field!" The train and its boxcars disappeared. "Also, I activate the quickplay magic card Mystic Wok from my hand in response to this. By sacrificing Perfect Machine King while it is at its maximum attack power I'll gain that much life." The robot disappeared. (4700/1500)

Daniel- 700

Ichigo- 5000

Rikuo- 7800

Daniel closed his eyes and braced himself as lightning flashed down onto the ground. Finally one huge bolt struck the ground and turned into a bonfire of black flames. An echoing howl shook the arena as a giant wolf's head broke through the top of the fire.

Everyone in the stands stared in awe at the titanic wolf.

"That's…." All the members of Team Topdeck in the stands remember that monster all too well.

Rikuo pointed at Ichigo. "My wrath unleashed! You wanted my full power? Well here it is!" The huge wolf brushed the fire away and looked down to snarl hungrily at the half demon. "Fenrir-Destroyer of Gods!" (4000/4000)

"4000 attack points…" Ichigo looked awe-struck as the wolf roared, blowing his hair back roughly.

Rikuo glanced over at Daniel. "Forgive me friend."

"Forgive you?" Daniel tilted his head to the side. "Why?"

"Forgive me for using this card!" Rikuo held the card up in the air. "Hell Meteor!" Fenrir's howls were drowned out as the sky right below the arena ceiling tore open to reveal a hellish dimension of flames. "This magic card's special ability deals one player 4000 life points of damage!" A giant fireball began to drop out of the dimension, falling like a homing missile towards Ichigo.

The half demon stared at the fireball like it was telling him that it was going to kill him slowly. ("Damn it…")

"RIKUO!" Daniel tackled his other half. "Are you insane?"

The wolf demon held up another card. "In response I activate the quickplay magic card Damage Split." The Hell Meteor shuddered and exploded in mid-flight, turning into two half-sized fireballs. "This card lets me take a source of effect damage and deal half of it to one target and half of it to another. In this case….forgive me."

Daniel's eyes widened in surprise as the half-Hell Meteor dropped down and slammed into his chest, sending him careening off of the arena floor.

"DAD!" Ichigo saw the fireball coming and screamed. For a few moments his hair turned night black, and the half-Hell Meteor was sent screaming into the ceiling of the arena, where it left a huge hole in the steel. As his hair returned to normal he snarled at Rikuo. "What's the matter with you? Why would you attack your own partner?"

"Forces of darkness!" Rikuo snapped his fingers. "Let the darkness game begin!" A sphere of darkness appeared around the field, immediately stealing all sight of what was going on.

_To be continued…_

To Rex: Rikuo is crazy, but he has already declared how he will be defeating Ichigo. His honor (normally) can overpower rage.

To Sinister: You don't know Eri very well then. When her father is truly serious she wouldn't dare fight with him. Besides, this is Ichigo's fight more than hers.

To Adriel: You might get your wish, you might not.

To Voidtemplar: Are you expecting an answer in this response?

To G.O.T. Nick: I think Rikuo is still in the game, even though he's gone through his fusions. After all, don't forget that not all of his most powerful monsters are fusions.

To generic reviewer: It's good to see such support for our young duelists.

To Dais: Nope, I don't think he got it.

To wolfy: Go ahead and do as you wish. It doesn't affect me either way. And yes, Rikuo is half-insane.

To falcon demon general: Fenrir looks at reason and goes, "lunch."

To Seeker of the Soul: Yeah, you hit the nail on the head.

To Star: But why would Ichigo run Metalmorph?

To Raine: Errr….do you think Ichigo can win all alone?

To Bobbomp: He got it alright.

To Anime Albino: I see we have a strawberry fan here?

To Sinister: Errr….okay…


	22. Unleashing the Wolf

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Rival School Arc

Chapter 22: Unleashing the Wolf

"_Forces of darkness!" Rikuo snapped his fingers. "Let the darkness game begin!" A sphere of darkness appeared around the field, immediately stealing all sight of what was going on._

Ichigo snarled. "You're insane."

"Maybe, but I'm better than you," Rikuo slid the last card in his hand into his disk. "I set one card face-down and let you sweat out the fact that now you're staring down a god. And not just any god, but the monster that gods fear. End turn." Fenrir snarled and barked twice, nearly sending Ichigo off of the arena.

Ichigo drew. ("Fighting that thing for right now is not an option.") "I set one monster in defense mode. End turn."

Rikuo drew. "I summon a monster in face-down defense mode. Fenrir, wipe out his set monster with Black Inferno's Roar!" The wolf opened its jaws and sprayed the set monster with black flame.

"Reverse card open!" Ichigo pointed at one of his now face-up cards. "Mirror Force will negate your attack and destroy Fenrir!"

"Fenrir special ability activates! By sending one monster on my field to the graveyard I can protect it from the effect of one trap card!" He slid the set monster into the graveyard and Mirror Force exploded. "The battle continues!"

Ichigo's face-down monster revealed itself to be a man holding a sniper rifle. He screamed and then burned to ash.

Rikuo smirked. "I've got you now. End turn."

Ichigo frowned and drew. ("I've got a chance…but it requires a bit of luck and a lot of good timing.") "I currently have two cards face-down…" He pointed at one of them. "Mirage of Nightmare reveals itself!" The card flipped up. "Also, I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Rikuo drew. "Since it is my fifth turn since activating Card of Demise, my hand is sent to the graveyard." A guillotine blade fell from out of nowhere and slashed his hand card in half. "Go now Fenrir! Crush his…"

Ichigo held up his hand. "The effect of Mirage of Nightmare lets me draw four cards." He drew four cards and then snickered slightly. "Alright, continue."

"Black Inferno's Roar!" The huge wolf sprayed the set card with fire. It revealed itself to be some kind of silver-colored crab robot.

Ichigo calmly watched his monster explode. "The effect of Cyber Shadow Retriever (1000/1000) lets me pick up Cyber Shadow Soldier and add it to my hand!" He slid the card out of his graveyard and added it to his hand.

Rikuo shrugged slightly. "Mirage of Nightmare will force you to discard more than half of your hand at the start of your turn."

"Reverse card open! Shadow Portal triggers when a monster on my field is destroyed as a result of battle! Now one Cyber Shadow from my deck will be added to my hand!" He caught a card that was spat out of his deck. "In response, I activate Emergency Provisions!" Mirage of Nightmare and Shadow Portal disappeared.

Rikuo frowned. "I see…interesting play. End turn!" Fenrir snarled, because it was getting impatient will all of this waiting.

Ichigo- 5000

Rikuo- 7800

Ichigo looked down at his deck and then drew slowly. "This card…" He threw it down. Up in the air above him a swirling vortex of darkness appeared. And from within it a single dark-clothed form started to slowly lower onto the field. "Awaken now…" The form touched down and opened its crimson eyes.

Rikuo's eyes widened at the warrior. "What is that?"

Ichigo and the monster both struck a rather ridiculous-looking pose at once and then pointed at Rikuo. "Meet the power that is a defender of the just! The true heart of the hero! A warrior who defends those who need it!" They both slammed their right foot into the ground and squared off against the god and its master. "We are Elemental Hero-Shadow Man!" (700/200)

Rikuo wasn't sure whether to laugh…no, he just laughed. "Is this what you think a hero is?"

"When Shadow Man is my only card in play I draw two cards!" He drew twice, now giving him eight cards in his hand. "It's time…"

"It's time for what?" Rikuo had a feeling….like there was a power building in the distance.

"From my hand I activate Nightmare Synopsis!" Ichigo took the magic card and another card from his hand, sliding both into the graveyard. "This card's effect allows me to discard a card from my hand to add one equipment magic card from my deck to my hand." He held up a card. "Silent Rebirth allows me to revive one normal monster!" A medium-sized warrior wearing a helmet appeared on the field in a crouching position. "Cyber Shadow Soldier (1600/1600) is summoned in defense mode!" He slid a card into his disk. "I activate Soldier's Oath! This equipment magic card can only be used on Soldier. When Soldier is used in a fusion all of the material components for that fusion are added to my hand instead of send to the graveyard or removed from play pile." The warrior stood up and saluted Ichigo.

"A fusion that can beat Fenrir?" Rikuo narrowed his eyes. "No way…"

"Open your eyes and check this out then!" Ichigo smiled and opened his field magic card slot. "Fusion Gate activates now!" The darkness above them began to swirl and twist. "This card lets us fuse monsters without needing to use Polymerization!" He held up a card. "Cyber Shadow Assassin…though I could fuse Snake it would do no good against Fenrir! So instead….I'll bring out my fusion Elemental Hero!" The vortex stretched down and swallowed up Shadow Man, Soldier, and the Assassin card in Ichigo's hand.

Ichigo stared as the tornado faded to reveal a black-armored superhero wearing a black visor and with a blaster on one arm.

Rikuo blinked in surprise. "Tempest?"

"You're partially right! Elemental Hero Dark Tempest!" The warrior struck a pose. (2800/2800) Ichigo pointed at Fenrir. "Attack now! Shadow Tempest!" The warrior aimed its blaster at the god and released a blast of silver energy.

"Are you stupid? Fenrir has far more attack points that your creature!"

Ichigo tapped his temple and then his disk spat out Fusion Gate. "I sacrifice one card from my field to negate all battle damage and instead destroy the monster Dark Tempest battles with! Elimination Tornado!" Dark Tempest flapped its wings and shattered the god. "Also, I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Rikuo narrowed his eyes. "I won't be put on the defensive by you! It's my turn now." He drew. "I activate the magic card Repair Facility! This continuous magic card will remain in play until I choose to throw it out. End turn."

Ichigo drew. "Here's the opening! Go Shadow Tempest!" The warrior aimed his blaster at Rikuo. "Direct attack!" A blast of silver energy slammed into the wolf demon and bowled him over. "End turn."

Ichigo- 5000

Rikuo- 5000

Rikuo drew. "Perfect draw for the situation. I play Swords of Revealing Light!" Green glowing swords of light slammed down onto the field. "End turn."

Ichigo drew. "I can't attack but that's no matter. I set a monster face-down and end my turn."

Rikuo drew. "Turn one of Swords…and I end without playing anything."

Ichigo drew. "Then for now I end my turn."

Rikuo drew. "Again, end turn."

Ichigo drew. "Here we go…" He looked at the card and his eyes widened slightly. ("Polymerization….it might come in handy…") "I place a card face-down and end turn."

Rikuo drew. "Swords is over…" The glowing swords of light shattered. "But now I have all of the pieces in place to get rid of your field. Repair Facility, for every turn in play, lets me sacrifice a card from my hand to send it to the graveyard!" He discarded his three hand cards and the magic card exploded. "So now I can choose any three machine monsters from my deck and add them to my hand." He held up three cards from his deck and threw one down. "Steel Revenge (300/200) in defense mode. This monster's special ability lets me special summon it when added to my hand. By discarding one card from my hand I can destroy all cards in play and then you may draw two cards!" He discarded one card and Ichigo's whole field exploded into dust.

The half demon drew twice, giving him eight cards in hand.

Rikuo took the last card in his hand and placed it down. "Now I summon Steel Shield (0/2000) in defense mode to protect my life points. End turn."

Ichigo drew. ("Nine cards…") He grabbed a card from his hand and threw it down. "I summon Cyber Shadow Relay (0/1600) in defense mode." A little wheeled robot with a satellite dish on top of it appeared on the field. "Also, I set two cards face-down. End turn for now."

Rikuo drew. "Do you understand why I hate you so much?"

"Is it because I'm such a nice guy compared to you?" Ichigo snickered. "Or maybe you just dislike the fact that I like your daughter instead of fear her like you had hoped?"

"I hate you because you are foolish. You don't understand the dangers that await you. Your father won't always be around to protect you." Rikuo closed his eyes, and the card in his hand began to pulse. "I…I cannot let you emerge from this duel without learning the truth! You must understand the lesson I hold! So therefore…" He held up the drawn card. "I must play this! Hope of Faith!"

"Hope of Faith?" Ichigo's eyes widened. ("That's the card Eri told me about…")

"I sacrifice Steel Shield to summon…" Rikuo pointed at his monster and it disappeared, replaced by a red pillar of light that split into a white pillar and a black pillar. Both formed into a pair of nearly identical knights.

"I am Yami Knight!" (6000/0) The first one looked like Rikuo, its black armor seeming to suck up all light.

"I am Hikari Knight!" (0/6000) The other one looked like Daniel, its white armor radiating the very element that its counter-part absorbed.

They slammed their swords together. "We will fight the darkness!" Both knights stood back to back and pointed at Ichigo. "Prepare for battle villain!"

Ichigo nearly face-fell. "I'm not a villain!"

"Silence!" Yami Knight launched across the field and slashed through Relay.

Rikuo closed his eyes. "End turn."

Ichigo drew. "I'm not beaten yet!" He looked at the drawn card. "From my hand I activate Magic Juncture. This card lets me take one magic card from my deck and place it aside. During my next standby phase it comes into my hand. End turn."

Rikuo drew. "I activate Fusion Return!" He caught a card from his graveyard. "Polymerization…fuses together light and darkness!" Both knights were pulled into a swirling vortex. "Awaken now, the almighty Balance Knight!" (20000/20000) A black and white knight slowly lowered onto the field. _"I am the ultimate warrior. Even your fusions cannot defeat me Ichigo."_

The half demon paled. "20000 attack points…." He pointed at one of his set cards. "Go Safeguard!" A steel shield appeared in front of him. "This quickplay magic card will negate your attack!"

Balance Knight didn't even bother attacking. Rikuo smirked and glanced at his set card. "End turn then. Let's see what you have."

("20000 attack points…in a fusion no less….") Ichigo dropped to his knees. "I'm beaten…out of all of my fusions none of them have the power necessary to defeat a monster with 20000 attack points. Dark Tempest is gone already…."

"Then you're surrendering?" Rikuo frowned and Balance Knight looked disappointed. "How pitiful…"

Ichigo squeezed his eyes shut. ("I have some ways to get rid of it…but they're all used up or gone….")

_("You mustn't surrender Ichigo! Stand up!")_

("Ahran?")

_("No…")_ A phantom form materialized in front of the half demon. It was of a man in a black body-suit with a bandanna around his forehead, the edges of the piece of cloth flapping in an invisible wind.

Rikuo and Balance Knight both looked in surprise at the phantom that stood on Ichigo's field. ("What's going on now?")

"_Ichigo. In my time I have had to fight friends and enemies. I've faced opponents that I never thought I could defeat. And yet…I believed…"_ Snake closed his eyes. _"If all else fails, remember your mission. Remember that it, above all else, is key."_

"The mission…" Ichigo started to stand. "The power…of each Cyber Shadow…" Behind him his Cyber Shadow monsters began to appear in phantom form, one after another. "And…the mission…" His and Snake's eyes both turned to meet Balance Knight's and Rikuo's respectively. "Rikuo!"

The wolf demon frowned. "What do you want?"

"I want you to understand…to understand that your daughter is free! I don't want to take her away…but I want to make sure she is happy no matter what she does!" Ichigo pointed at the two. "You may be better than me…but my mission is clear! You won't be making me understand anything! I'll be the one making you understand!"

Rikuo's dark features melted slightly. ("You passed…you figured it out.") "Ichigo…" He smiled. "Let's see you try and win."

Ichigo looked down at his deck. "The power rests within me…not within anything else! It's my turn now, draw!" He drew. "This is it Rikuo! One way or another this duel is ending right now! Polymerization!" He held up two cards. "Assassin and Soldier fuse…" Snake's phantom form began real. "Special Operative Snake (2000/1800) is summoned!"

Rikuo chuckled. "It's impressive…but nothing more than that."

Ichigo smiled slightly. "I'm not done yet! From my hand I summon Brave Wolf Swordsman!" (1400/1200) A warrior that looked almost exactly like Ichigo appeared on the field. "Then I play the magic card Brave Wolf Howl!" The swordsman tilted back its head and howled loudly, the sound shaking the arena. "This card can only activate when Brave Wolf Swordsman is in play! The attack of all monsters that you have in play is cut in half!" (10000/20000)

Rikuo shrugged. "10000 is still too much for you."

Ichigo held up another card. "The power of the magic card Double Spell lets me discard a magic card from my hand to fuse Cyber Shadow King of Swords with Brave Wolf Swordsman!" Brave Wolf Swordsman held up its sword and shimmered. "Double Spell gives me your Polymerization card to use!" It changed its body and strength growing. "King Wolf Swordsman in attack mode!" (2600/2000)

Rikuo narrowed his eyes. "You have no cards in hand. So that means that your monster must have an effect that can take down Balance Knight?" ("Not that it matters. My face-down Mirror Force card will put you in your place.")

Ichigo pointed at his set card. "Reveal Lighting the Way! This trap card activates when there are two fusion monsters or more in play!" Energy flowed from the trap into his deck. "I draw four cards!" He drew four times. "From my hand I play the magic card Inherited Strength! This magic card lets me sacrifice one card from my hand to sacrifice a monster that I have in play!" King Wolf Swordsman exploded into dust. "The attack points of my monster transfer to Snake!" (4600/1800)

"It's nowhere near enough!"

"Not yet…" Ichigo held up another card. "I activate the magic card Blessings of Luna!"

"Isn't that a continuous magic card?"

"Not this one. Its power lets me take back a magic card and a monster card!" Ichigo held up two cards. "Now I play the magic card Projected Strength! This card allows one Cyber Shadow in play to gain double attack points. However, it can no longer attack!" (9200/1800) Snake stood tall…but not tall enough. "Also…the final piece of the puzzle! Field magic card Legend's Battlefield! As long as this card is in play and a Special Operative is in play it gains 2000 attack points!" (11200/1800)

Rikuo laughed. "You said it yourself, it can't attack."

Snake and Ichigo both sneered at once. "Snake's special ability…" Taking the last card in his hand, Ichigo discarded it. "Allows me to discard a card from my hand to destroy a monster in play with attack strength lower than or equal to its own." He pointed at Balance Knight. "Balance Knight is destroyed!" Snake pulled a small black detonator out of nowhere and pressed down on the plunger, blowing the mighty knight of balance apart instantly.

Rikuo slid back a few feet and braced himself. "You're good..."

Ichigo pointed at Rikuo. "I'm more than good! Snake's special ability also deals half of the attack points of the destroyed monster to your life points!"

Ichigo- 5000

Rikuo- 0

Rikuo looked down at his life point counter in amazement. "Incredible…you did it." He started to chuckle. "Alright, you've made your point."

Ichigo smiled weakly as the darkness game sphere started to fade away. "That's what you get, psycho."

As the darkness cleared everyone sat silently, waiting to see what the result was. Ichigo was on his knees and Rikuo was standing, so everyone started to gasp in surprise. They all thought he had lost.

"It was a great game." Ichigo met eyes with Rikuo. "Maybe next time I'll be able to beat you."

Rikuo's eyes widened hugely. ("He's…") "Yeah, you put up a great fight though." He felt something that he'd never felt before. It was pleasure. That whole duel had been something he had enjoyed. The moments where his life points were dropping and rising all at once were great.

The gasps intensified.

Rikuo held his hand out and Ichigo grasped it. The wolf demon pulled him to his feet. "By the way…" He leaned in close and half-laughed out, "Gotcha."

"Huh?" Ichigo blinked in confusion….until he heard applause echoing out from the stands. Everyone was clapping rapidly. "What's all this about?"

The Principal smiled and stood up from his seat. "Ichigo Pilkington…you've just passed a special test. A special test that determines the first new member of a special new rank in the Duelist Academy."

"A new rank?" Ichigo looked at Rikuo, and then up at the Principal. "What is it?" Something was thrown over his head. He pulled it off and stared at it. It was a black and silver-trimmed version of his Osiris Red uniform.

"Welcome to Fenrir Black." Rikuo gave a dark little smirk. "And say hello to your teacher."

Ichigo fainted.

_To be continued…_

To G.O.T. Nick: See now? It was partially an act under Rikuo's part. He wanted Rikuo's full power.

To Star: And he says 'Damn you too.'

To Bobbomp: Okay.

To Anime Albino: You're going to steal Ichigo? Beware the wrath of Eri.

To Raine: Not necessarily. Midnight is infinitely patient.

To Seeker of the Soul: Rikuo has the worst levels of humor in that head of his.

To falcon demon general: Naw, he hasn't snapped.

To Dais: He got it in the end.

To Sinister: You know what….nevermind.

To generic reviewer: Then don't cheer. Just watch.

To LucienShadowMaster: Wow you ask a lot of questions. Calm down or put breaks in your questions.

To Rex: That's very true. He isn't running in with blind rage now.

To BLS-EotB: Welcome to the reviewing family. There was no way Ichigo was going to be able to summon all of the Titans to the field in that time. As for Divine Paladin, it only comes out when either Valeus or Apocalypse Dragon is involved.

To Hogwarts-Knight: Rikuo is using Fenrir because he has found out how to control the god's power more than before.

To Voidtemplar: He's no crazier than normal.


	23. Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Legends of the Demon Duelist-Rival School Arc

Chapter 23: Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells

Ichigo cried out in pain and dropped to his knees, panting weakly. "Jeez Rikuo, can't we stop yet? I mean…." Whatever else he had planned to say was taken out of him by a kick right to the ribs.

"Come now dear son-in-law, as the first and only member of Fenrir Black we have to make sure that you have the endurance to hold against the rest of the school," the wolf demon sneered coldly. "So stand your ass up and do it again!"

Ichigo closed his eyes and forced himself to his feet. ("One million jumping jacks…what kind of psycho teaching method is this?")

It had been a month or so since his 'inauguration' into Fenrir Black. Apparently Rikuo pulled some strings with people he knew and managed to have the Principal create a new 'special' dorm that was for students who were special cases. Whether that meant good or bad, Ichigo didn't know yet. And so far Rikuo had made every day of his life hell since that time.

* * *

Deondre caught the Frisbee from twenty feet in the air. It had only taken a rebound off of his son's back and then off of Daniel's back, one who had been helping the other hang up decorations for the Christmas celebration that was going to be held soon. 

"Nice catch dog boy!" CJ smirked and rubbed an index finger under his nose. "I guess you'd make a good pet, since you can play fetch and all."

"At least I'm not…" Deondre ducked as Ryu went sliding past him screaming. There was an echoing crash and a Christmas tree ornament rolled the other way.

"I'm sorry dad! I should have warned you about that skateboard!"

"No problem...I'll just lie here and try to fix my spine…"

* * *

Ichigo- 0 

Rikuo- 2200

Ichigo went sliding backwards and crashed into the stone wall of the cavern that had been his home for the last month.

Rikuo spat onto the stone. "You're pitiful. Try again!" He shuffled his deck and slammed it into its slot.

_Ten minutes later…_

Ichigo- 0

Rikuo- 1800

"Was your victory against me a fluke? Again!"

_Twenty minutes later…_

Ichigo- 0

Rikuo- 1000

"Still not good enough!"

* * *

Jasmine grinned and laughed manically while she ran down the hallways of the school building. 

"Come back here Jasmine! We need those Christmas lights!" Daniel, along with Deondre, CJ, Ryu, and Siegfried charged down the hallway after her.

"Never! They're mine!" The Kitsune ran around a corner and out of sight.

Siegfried was the first to turn the corner and he yelped in complete surprise as Jasmine bowled him over and kept running, laughing crazily all the while.

"Don't let her get away! Sorry Siegfried!" The remaining four turned to the right and continued to follow her, leaving the currently grounded Siegfried to his own devices.

* * *

"The celebration is in an hour!" Ichigo looked at his watch and then at Rikuo. "So let's get going!" 

"Keh! We're not going anywhere."

"What?"

"You still have training to do!"

* * *

"So she tricked all of us…." Ryu sighed, currently hanging upside down in an imprisoning wrap of Christmas lights. "That's sad…." 

CJ and Deondre both were still in pain from the groin kicks they had received from the Kitsune.

Daniel just was crying for the sheer fact that he wanted to just have one Christmas where normal things happened. ("Nothing exploding…no evil demons showing up…just peace…")

* * *

"Get back here!" 

"Forget you, crazy ass old man!" Ichigo charged out of the cave and ran as fast as he possibly could. ("I'm going to that party whether you want me to or not!")

* * *

Ichigo took a deep breath and rested his back against the roof of auditorium that was the housing place for the celebration. The sun was already falling in the sky, and he still had some time before the celebration actually started. Currently everyone was outside singing Christmas carols. Of course, he couldn't join them because Rikuo was currently on his tail. ("If he catches me then I'll never get a wink of sleep ever again.") 

But what was he going to do to pass the time? He'd taken his deck with him, but after all of the times Rikuo had forced him to duel he didn't want to do it anymore. ("No more dueling…none at all…") He slowly closed his eyes. ("I'd guess I had better just sleep then.") A few seconds later he was snoring.

Until he heard something. His ears pricked up and he slowly opened his eyes to see someone up on the roof with him. "Huh? Who's there?"

The shadowed figure spun around in surprise…and then started to run towards a different side of the auditorium.

"Hey! Hang on a second!" Ichigo leapt up and chased after the retreating figure. ("This guy is really fast!") "I just want to know what you are doing up here!"

The man slowed down…and turned to face Ichigo. "Well Ichigo, I'm here because it's my job." He stepped out into the soft light of moon.

"No freakin way…." Ichigo's eyes nearly exploded out of his head.

Standing in front of him was a jolly white-bearded man in a red suit with a sack over one shoulder. "You're surprised?"

("Okay…this is a hallucination…") Ichigo squeezed his eyes shut. "When I open these two eyes I will stop seeing the Santa Claus. Because Santa Claus does not exist." His eyes opened….and the guy was still there.

"I am real Ichigo." Santa chuckled happily. "And actually I'm here to personally thank you for saving the world from Chaos."

"So…you came all this way to thank me for defeating Chaos huh?" Ichigo rubbed his eyes again. ("This can't be freaking real! I must be losing my mind!")

Santa chortled and rummaged through his sack. "I'd like to see something, if you have the time."

"If I have the time?" Ichigo sighed. "I've got nothing but time."

Santa removed a duel disk from his sack and slid it onto his arm. "Then would you please honor me with a duel?"

"Duel with Santa Claus?" Ichigo smiled slightly. "That's fine, but don't expect me to go easy on you." He removed his Fenrir Black jacket and threw it aside. His Duel Arm hummed and changed itself into its dueling mode. "Duel!"

Santa- 4000

Ichigo- 4000

Ichigo slammed his deck into its slot and then drew six cards. "I'm first!" He fanned the cards out in front of him. "I summon Cyber Shadow Shifter (800/1200) in attack mode!" A black-clothed ninja appeared on the field and struck a very ninja-like pose. "Also, I play the equipment magic card Shifting Daggers!" A pair of daggers appeared in the warrior's hands. "These increase its attack by 500!" (1300/1200) "End turn."

Santa laughed merrily and drew. "Then I suppose I'll start with Myst Case (1500/1500) in attack mode." A wrapped gift box appeared on the field. A pair of flaps in the front opened to reveal eyes. "Attack Shifter now." The ribbons on the box unwrapped and it popped its top, shooting out a boxing glove that slammed into the ninja.

Ichigo smirked slightly as the Shifting Daggers exploded and Shifter fell to one knee. "Shifting Daggers are destroyed instead of Shifter, and when this happens he goes into defense mode."

"Then for now my turn is done." Santa didn't look angry. He just continued to smile cheerfully.

Ichigo returned the smile. "I'm still not sure whether you are actually Santa Claus…but regardless I won't hold back on you!" He drew. "From my hand I play Reinforcements of the Army! This lets me search for a level four or lower warrior monster!" He removed a card from his deck. "Now I play Polymerization!" A swirling vortex appeared in the air above him. Tossing two cards up into the air, he smirked. "Try this on for size. I fuse Cyber Shadow Blademaster and Cyber Shadow Berserker together now!" Both cards were sucked into the vortex.

The emerging warrior held a laser chainsaw in one hand. With a single tug it turned the weapon on. "Cyber Shadow Cutter (2100/1200) in attack mode!"

Santa blinked a couple of times at the mighty warrior. "Oh my…"

"Cutter, attack Myst Case with Berserk Slash-down!" The warrior slashed the chainsaw across the gift box and destroyed it instantly. "Also, the effect of Cutter deals the attack of your monster in damage to your life points! Take this!" Cutter kept moving, slashing the chainsaw across Santa's chest before it returned to Ichigo's field.

Santa- 1900

Ichigo- 4000

Santa drew two cards. "When Myst Case is destroyed as a result of battle I can draw two cards." He looked at the cards and then discarded them both. "I discard Green Cookie (300/200) and a card from my hand to return one toy monster that was destroyed during this turn to the field with 500 extra attack points." A little elf in green clothing appeared on the field and saw the remains of the Myst Case. It sneezed a couple of times and ran over to the box. A few moments later the Myst Case a new golden ribbon on it. (2000/1500)

Ichigo frowned. "End turn."

Santa drew and looked at the drawn card. "Now I summon Chaser (1600/800) in attack mode." A toy soldier in clothing that made it look like a British soldier appeared on the field. "Also, I play the field magic card Toy Factory." All around them the area changed, leaving both of them standing a huge area of conveyor belts and toys. "In this place the attack power of all toy monsters rises by 200." (2200/1500) (1800/800)

Ichigo gulped. ("Oh great…")

"Also, I play the equipment magic card Toy Musket." A metal toy musket appeared in the Chaser's hands. "This card raises its attack power by 1000." (2800/800) "Now attack Cutter. Toy Gunfire." The metal monster lifted the musket and shot the warrior, blowing it apart. "Myst Case, attack Shifter." The ninja was punched senseless by the boxing glove. "Now I'll just set a card face-down and end my turn."

Santa- 1900

Ichigo- 3300

Ichigo drew the top card off of his deck and looked at the remaining two cards of his hand. "All I can do is set this monster face-down. End turn." The card shimmered into existence in front of him and he took a deep breath. ("As strange as this is I can't let myself get distracted.")

Santa drew. "Myst Case, attack the set monster." The gift box shot out a boxing glove that hit the set card and shattered it.

Ichigo smiled and fished his hand into his graveyard. "When Cyber Shadow Screamer is flipped up your battle phase ends. Also, I can add one Cyber Shadow and one Polymerization card from my graveyard." He held up two cards and added them to his hand.

Santa laughed again. "You're very good Ichigo. That's why I'm so glad that duelists like you are protecting the world from evil demons and the like. End turn."

Ichigo drew. "Thanks for the compliment. But I won't hold back!" He flipped the card up in front of his face. "Nice….I play Polymerization!" A new swirling vortex appeared in the air above him. "Strongarm and Berserker fuse together to create Cyber Shadow Wild Driver!" (2500/1500) A huge dual sword-wielding warrior lowered onto the field and roared out a battle cry. "Attack Myst Case!" The warrior launched forwards and cross-slashed across the monster box's body, shattering it.

Santa drew two cards. "The effect of Myst Case lets me draw two cards." He held the cards up and slid one into his graveyard. "I discard Red Cookie (200/300) to revive Myst Case." A red elf appeared and deposited the gift box onto the field. (2200/1500)

Santa-1600

Ichigo- 3300

Ichigo didn't like where this was going. ("I can't kill those damned monsters of his.") "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Santa drew. "First I'll play Monster Reincarnation. This magic card lets me discard a card from my hand to pick up a monster from my graveyard." He held up Green Cookie. "Now I play the continuous magic card Merry Christmas." Christmas music started to play in the background. "This card lets me draw two cards during my draw phase. Also, the attack of all toy monsters in play rises by 500." (2700/1500) (3300/800) "Myst Case, attack Wild Driver." The gift box shot out its boxing glove…

"Reverse card open!" One of Ichigo's two set cards flipped up. "Negate Attack stops your monster's attack and ends your battle phase." The half demon continued to smile though. "It's nice to duel someone other than Rikuo every once in a while."

Santa chuckled. "Ah yes Rikuo, he is such a grouch. End turn."

"That he is. It's my turn now, draw!" Ichigo slid the drawn card into his disk. "Go Re-Fusion! This equipment magic card requires that I pay 800 life points! One fusion monster in my graveyard will be revived!" Cutter exploded out of a pile of toys and landed next to Wild Driver. "Now I have two fusion monsters in play!"

Santa- 1600

Ichigo- 2500

Santa waved a finger in the air. "That's true Ichigo, but don't get too excited. I still have more powerful monsters."

"Yeah, but you don't have what I have face-down!" Ichigo pointed at his set card. "Activate Lighting the Way! This trap card triggers when I have two fusion monsters in play! I draw four cards!" He slid four new cards off of his deck. "Then I play De-Fusion on Cutter!" The warrior shimmered and then blew apart, replaced by Berserker and Blademaster in crouching positions. (1900/1200) (2000/1600) "Also, I switch Wild Driver into defense mode." His huge warrior dropped to one knee and brought the flat of both blades up like a pair of shields. "Finally I set one card face-down. End turn."

Santa drew twice. "It looks like your attack is stopped Ichigo. Now I summon another Charger." A new metal soldier appeared on the field. "Also, I play another Toy Musket." The machine lifted its new rifle. (3300/800) "Now I attack your three monsters with my monsters." The two Chargers lifted their guns and blew Blademaster and Berserker away. But as the Myst Case began to charge…

"Reveal Emergency Alarm!" Ichigo's set card flipped up. "This trap will negate your attack and let me pick up one Cyber Shadow monster from my graveyard." He held up Shifter and added it to his hand.

"And from my hand I play Quick Attack. This quickplay magic card allows one monster on my field to attack immediately." One of the two Chargers took aim at Wild Driver and fired, blowing it apart. Santa laughed again. "This really is a lot of fun Ichigo. End turn."

("Easy for you to say…you're winning.") Ichigo drew. "I summon Elemental Hero Shadow Man!" Thunder rained down as a shadowed form started to come down from the sky.

Santa watched as the monster slowly lowered onto the field.

Ichigo and the monster both struck a rather ridiculous-looking pose at once and then pointed at Santa. "Meet the power that is a defender of the just! The true heart of the hero! A warrior who defends those who need it!" They both slammed their right foot into the ground and squared off against their opponent. "We are Elemental Hero-Shadow Man!" (700/200)

Ichigo's hand came up to his deck. "And when Shadow Man is summoned I draw two cards if there are no other cards on my field." He drew twice and looked at his hand. "Fusion Return lets me pick up one Polymerization card from my graveyard." Holding up his key card, the half demon smiled. "Silent Rebirth is next, reviving Blademaster in defense mode!" A dual sword holding monster appeared on the field in a crouching position. "Now Fate's Call."

A golden angel appeared on the field and floated in front of Shadow Man. "If she is in my favor I can return Shadow Man to my deck and special summon one monster of the same level." The angel smiled at him. "And I'm in her favor!" He removed Shadow Man from his disk and switched it out with a different card. "Cyber Shadow Assassin (1000/800) in attack mode!" A black-clothed lithe warrior appeared on the field. "And now the stage is set."

More thunder crashed down onto the field. "Magic card, Polymerization go!" A glowing vortex sucked up Blademaster, Assassin and a medium-sized helmeted warrior. "I fuse Assassin, Blademaster, and Soldier together! Cyber Shadow Lord of Knives is summoned!" (2800/2300) A trench-coat wearing monster lowered into play. _"My opponent is Santa Claus. Bizarre…but if that is my mission then so be it!"_ He threw two handfuls of knives towards Santa.

The first handful took out Toy Factory, and subsequently Merry Christmas. The second took out Myst Case. Without Toy Factory in play the attack of both Chasers dropped. (2600/800X2)

Ichigo pointed at one of the two monsters. "Lord of Knives, attack now! Knife Barrage!" The warrior assaulted one of the two machines with knife after thrown knife, until it finally blew apart.

Santa pointed at his face-down card. "Reveal Gingerbread Cookie!" The card flipped up and a giant gingerbread man appeared on the field. "This card will return my life points to what they were before my monster was destroyed. Also, my monster will return as it was before." The Charger appeared on the field, Toy Musket and all. (2600/800) "Also, the second effect of Gingerbread Cookie gives us both 2000 more life points."

Santa- 3600

Ichigo- 4500

Ichigo slapped a card down onto his disk. "I summon Cyber Shadow Shifter in defense mode." The ninja appeared in a crouching position. "End turn!"

Santa drew. "Now I sacrifice one of my two Chasers to summon…myself."

"Huh?" Ichigo gaped in surprise as an exact replica of the very man he was dueling appeared on the field in place of one of the toy soldiers. ("This is ridiculous!")

Santa smiled warmly. "Old Saint Nick (1000/3000) in defense mode. Also, when this monster is summoned I discard a card from my hand to activate the equipment magic card Present Sleigh." Now the monster Santa was sitting in a sleigh and flying around the field.

Ichigo considered face-falling. "What's that supposed to do?"

"Now I can remove one monster on the field from play during each turn." Santa pointed at the Lord of Knives. "Special delivery." The sleigh dropped a wrapped present into the warrior's hands. _"A present for me?"_ Lord of Knives opened it and faded away.

Ichigo sighed. ("Oh great…no Lord of Knives….just when I need him to.")

"Chaser, attack Shifter now." The machine soldier lifted its gun and blew the ninja away. "End turn."

Ichigo gulped silently. ("No cards in hand and no cards in play. I'm left with nothing but the card I draw.") He shrugged. ("Win or lose…it was still fun.") The top card of his deck slid off slowly and he held it up in front of his eyes. "I'm not sure whether you really are Santa Claus or not…but I know one thing. I know that this duel is over!"

Santa's twinkling eyes blinked a couple of times. "Really?"

"Yup!" Ichigo slapped his card down. "I special summon Steel Titan Rex!" (2800/2000) A huge tyrannosaurus rex-shaped robot appeared on his field and roared loudly, shaking the building underneath them. Ichigo heard gasps of surprise from down below him. "Rex's special ability lets me draw cards off of my deck until I come to two monsters." He snapped cards off until he had two monsters sitting in his hand. "Cyber Shadow Psychic and Cyber Shadow Kuriboh." (1500/1200) (300/200) "So I take 1800 damage." Electricity passed through Rex into his body. Other than gritting his teeth though he showed no expression.

Santa- 3600

Ichigo- 2700

"Your monster is powerful Ichigo, but how will it be enough to beat Old Saint Nick's defense points?"

Ichigo snapped his fingers and Rex braced its feet into the ground. "Rex's special summon ability….Nuclear Strike!" A pair of missiles shot out of Rex's back, arched into the air, and then dropped down onto the field. In a blinding flash of light both Old Saint Nick and the Chaser were vaporized. "When summoned all cards other than itself are destroyed! Rex, Gatling Destruction!" Ichigo pointed at Santa and metal monster opened numerous gun ports all over its body. Then all at once the spot where Santa was standing was pummeled by gunfire.

Santa- 800

Ichigo- 2700

Ichigo smiled. "End turn Santa."

From within the smoke cloud a hearty chuckle reached Ichigo's ears. "That was impressive Ichigo. But it's my turn. I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards. Then I play the magic card Healing Candy Cane. This card raises my life points by 2000 if there are three or more toy monsters in my graveyard." Sparkled of red and white light fell down into the smoke cloud.

Santa- 2800

Ichigo- 2700

"Then I play the magic card Faulty Construction." Rex started to make a loud screeching noise. "This card destroys a machine monster in play and deals its owner half of its attack points in damage."

Ichigo threw up his arms just in time to brace himself. Rex exploded and nearly sent him off of the side of the building.

Santa- 2800

Ichigo- 1300

Ichigo kept sliding though, and slammed into an extension of the building, his body making a loud crack noise as he crashed. Letting out a cry of pain, the half demon slumped to the ground.

"Oh my goodness!" Santa started to run towards him. "Ichigo, are you alright?"

The boy hopped to his feet and did a quick back stretch. "That was awesome! I've never seen someone recover so completely from Rex's attack! This is a really good duel!" Smiling, the half demon popped his neck. "Let's finish this, shall we Santa?"

The jolly fat man stopped and nodded. "Alright, as you wish Ichigo. I summon Green Cookie (300/200) in defense mode and end my turn." A little green elf appeared on the field in a crouching position.

"Alright!" Ichigo gave Santa a huge smile. "I believe in Santa Claus now! So let's end this duel right now! It's my turn now, draw!" He snapped the top card off of his deck and held it up into the air. "I play Pot of Greed!" Two cards left the top of his deck. When he looked at them he smiled cheerfully. "Santa, you're a great duelist. I'll cherish this duel in my heart forever. But it's time to end it! Monster Reborn revives Cutter!" The chainsaw-wielding Cyber Shadow appeared on the field. "Attack Green Cookie now! Berserk Slash-down!" The warrior unleashed a full assault on the little elf. It yelped and blew apart. "Cutter's special ability deals you 300 life points of damage!"

Santa winced as the chainsaw blade hit his shoulder. "That's really good, but this duel isn't done yet."

Santa- 2500

Ichigo- 1300

"I hate to have to tell you this, but it is! From my hand I play the quickplay magic card Shifter's Greatest Trick!" Ichigo's graveyard slot started to glow. "At the cost of half of my life points I may activate one card from my graveyard if Shifter is in there! De-Fusion!" Cutter blew apart and Blademaster along with Berserker appeared in play. "Berserk Blade!"

Santa stumbled back a step as the wild warrior slashed its toothed blade across his chest.

Santa- 600

Ichigo- 650

"Blademaster, X slash!" The warrior slammed a cross-cut across Santa's chest.

Santa- 0

Ichigo- 650

The field faded away and Ichigo flashed the victory sign. "That was a lot of fun. Thanks Santa, for cheering me up."

Smiling warmly, Santa walked up to Ichigo and patted him on the back. "Well I'd better get going. There's still things for me to get done before the end of tonight. But keep up the good work Ichigo, and remember that I'll always be around if you ever need help."

"Thanks for the offer." Ichigo grinned and picked up his jacket. When he lifted up his head Santa was gone. "Later Santa Claus."

* * *

"There you are, you little…" Rikuo froze at the smile on Ichigo's face. It was so innocent he found it hard to keep his anger going. "What….are you smiling about? When I'm done with you there won't be enough medicine in the world to make you…"

Ichigo patted Rikuo on the shoulder and walked past him. "I love you too."

Ichigo strolled into the auditorium, seeing everyone he cared about in one place. Glancing back behind him, he grinned out at the window that looked out into the night sky above him. ("Maybe I'm….")

"There you are!"

Ichigo tipped his head down and blinked in surprise at the sight of Sammy. "Errr…can I help you Sammy?"

The girl nodded and leaned in to whisper to him. "What'd you get Eri for Christmas?"

Ichigo's heart stopped. ("OH NO! I FORGOT TO GET HER A PRESENT! OF ALL THE PEOPLE FOR ME TO FORGET…") He continued to berate himself for his stupidity, making exaggerated hand gestures and smacking his forehead repeatedly.

Sammy stared at him for a few moments and then rolled her eyes. "Some guys…"

Ichigo wasn't paying attention to Sammy anyway. He was too busy freaking out and trying to think of a replacement present. ("What can I get her? GAH! There's nothing that would say how I feel in this short of time!")

"Ichigo."

Said half demon launched twenty feet into the air. Quickly recovering from his surprise he landed facing Eri. "Hi!"

The demoness smiled slightly. "You're too afraid of things…" She fidgeted a little bit.

"What's wrong?" Ichigo's ears flicked gently.

"Ummm…here." Eri extended a little gift-wrapped present to him.

Ichigo took the small box and unwrapped it. Removing the top of the box, his eyes went huge. "This is a….this is a…." Removing the card inside it, he continued to stare like a child who had just been given a five pound chocolate bar. "It's Mirage of Dreams…" He started to hop up and down excitedly. "How did you get it?"

"My father had a spare lying around and I managed to convince him to give it to me. Though I didn't tell him what I was going to do with it."

Ichigo stopped bouncing…and looked crest-fallen. "Such a great gift…but I can't accept it?"

Eri blinked in surprise. "Why not?"

Ichigo started to fumble around in his pocket…and felt something. Fishing it out, he stared at it. "….err, because first you have to open my gift to you."

Eri took the box and gently opened it. A soft gasp escaped her lips. "That's…"

Suppressing the urge to lean in and look, Ichigo tapped his foot a couple of times. "What do you think?" ("And what is it anyway?")

Eri lifted up an ornate diamond on a golden chain. "It's shaped like a heart…amazing craftsmanship…" She looked from it to Ichigo and blushed. "Um…thank you very much. I don't know what to say."

Ichigo blushed back. "Hey, it wasn't anything big…" He went silent…and then smiled a little. "Merry Christmas Eri."

"Merry Christmas Ichigo."

A whistle caught both of their attention. "Hey you guys, come over here for a picture of the winning duelists from the meet! Let's get some Christmas card photos!"

Ichigo walked over, hand in hand with Eri.

* * *

Adriel glanced over at Ichigo…and actually cracked a slight smile. "Pilkington, it's good to see you again. I've discovered the perfect strategy to take you down this time."

Ichigo smiled back. "We'll see."

Hitokage sighed and glanced over his shoulder. "Feral, for the last time, go away."

The huge young man shook his head back and forth. "Feral follow pack leader. Pack mates all gather, so Feral join pack." Kenshin and Davis both snickered quietly off to the side.

Krieger was a bursting red color as Ashley held his hand.

Griff was in a similar situation with Sammy, except he wasn't quite so red.

Daniel glanced over at Ichigo and smirked. "How's living with Rikuo?"

Ichigo glanced over at the wolf demon, who was eyeing him like a hawk eyes its prey. "I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world."

The camera flashed…catching that single moment of joy forever. It was truly a Christmas that Ichigo would never forget.

_End of Arc_

Author's Notes: Rikuo: Hi guys! You might know me as the guy that screams a lot and tries to kill Ichigo. Well have I got a story for you! It's by this great writer named Wolf General who does great stuff like what you are currently reading! And in the name of shameless advertising I am here to introduce something he has been working on (for those of you who don't have him on Author Alert). It's called Hidden Spirit: Journey of the Soul. So if you like LDD, then give this a shot. It is a little darker than this storyline, but at the same time it still has the great dueling that you know and love.

Wolf General: Sniffle That's….so nice of you Rikuo.

Rikuo: Sooooo…..that'll cost you ten bucks.

Wolf General:…………….

Rikuo: You thought I worked for free?

* * *

To Luna's Meow: He didn't have to win. He could have lost you know.

To Hogwarts-Knight: There might be more members of Fenrir Black. But for now it's just Ichigo.

To G.O.T. Nick: I felt it necessary for Ichigo to respond with something during the duel. I mean….him just standing there and getting called a villain wouldn't do.

To Sinister: Thanks for the props buddy.

To Bobbomp: Huh? What's wrong?

To Anime Albino: Hmmm, that must be a plan worthy of Jasmine.

To Wolfy: I would….but honestly…I can't read that story. I try, honestly I did, but it has so many errors in the grammar that I have trouble concentrating. Still, I'll try if you wish.

To Star: Huh? What TV?

To Gryphinwyrm7: I see that you have been surprised. Excellent…my plan is working perfectly…

To Dais: What did you think? Did it go well?

To LucienShadowMaster: I can answer the last question. Cyber Shadow history will be given more if the viewing public cares about it.

To Rex: Not highest ranking, but it's up there.

To Adriel: Fenrir Black is different than the other three. It isn't on the ladder. And yes.

To Bacon: Divine Paladin might just be back. If Valeus or Apocalypse Dragon shows up, he'll be there to combat them.

To falcon demon general: If you're the general of falcon demons…then I wonder if Rikuo and your other half have ever gone to war.

To Seeker of the Soul: Rikuo separates Fenrir Black from other dorms. And not in a good way. Poor poor Ichigo….

To Mario: We're there.


End file.
